Righting Wrongs
by JasonMorganfan87
Summary: Jason always wanted to do right by Michael. He believed that Sonny and Carly were what was right for him and AJ was not, but after Michael is shot, he begins to question those beliefs and wants nothing more than to make it right and save the boy he loves. But how can he make it right? AJ's dead, isn't he?
1. Chapter 1

**Righting Wrongs**

**A/N: This story takes place after Michael was shot, but he wasn't in a coma for a year. In this story, he woke up a couple of days later.**

Jason stood outside Michael's hospital room. He watched the boy as he spoke with Sonny and Carly. He was smiling as though nothing had happened. Jason only wished he could move on like that. He couldn't. He couldn't think about anything other than the boy he loved like his own had almost died. It wasn't the first time Michael had been in danger because of the life the adults in his life chose to live, but it was the first time he had been hurt so badly that there was a real chance he would die.

A part of Jason said that he should just be grateful that Michael was alive, and he was grateful, but he couldn't get what happened and why out of his head. Michael got shot, a, because he was with Sonny, whom someone was trying to kill, and b, because Sonny chose to protect someone else over his twelve-year-old son. For the first time, Jason questioned his choice to give Michael to Sonny.

"Jason."

Jason turned to the right to see Robin. "Hey."

"Are you gonna go in? I'm sure Michael would love to see you," Robin said.

"I can't," was all Jason said.

"Why not?" Robin asked.

Jason looked back at Michael and resumed watching the boy. "I didn't think this would happen. I never, ever considered this."

"Jason, Michael's okay. He came through with flying colors," Robin assured her ex.

"And next time? What happens the next time he's hurt because of this world. He almost died this time. What if next time he actually does?" Jason asked.

Robin wanted to say something to reassure Jason. She wanted to tell him that that wouldn't happen, but she knew it could. The life Jason and Sonny led came with high risk to anyone who knew them. "I'm not sure what to say."

"When Michael was a baby, I promised to protect him. I swore no one would hurt him. And I was sure that was a promise I could keep. And when I made it so that Sonny could take Carly and Michael from AJ, I was sure he would protect him. I was sure it was the right choice," Jason said.

"Are you saying you regret taking Michael from AJ?" Robin asked surprised. This was the first time she'd heard Jason express remorse for that. He'd always believed he'd made the right choice by claiming Michael as his own and then later helping Sonny force AJ to give up his rights.

"I don't know. AJ was screwed up. He was more interested in pleasing the Quartermaines than anything else. I didn't think he'd be a good father to Michael," Jason said.

"Jason, that wasn't your choice to make. You weren't Michael's father," Robin said as gently as he could.

"Yeah, you said that before, right after you told AJ the truth. I was really angry at you for that," Jason said.

"I know. I don't regret it, Jason. It was the right thing to do, and despite what you might think, I didn't do it out of spite," Robin said.

Jason turned back to her. "I don't think that. I never thought that. I was angry because you took Michael away from me and because I felt that you hurt him, but I knew you didn't do it to hurt me. You're better than that."

"Thank you. AJ had a right to know his son. Carly didn't have the right to take that right away from him and neither did you," Robin said firmly.

"AJ was gonna take that right away from Carly," Jason pointed out.

"Because she drugged him. She made him think he fell off the wagon to keep him from finding out he had a child. He had a right to be angry," Robin said.

"I never thought about him. See to me, Carly was the mother, so she had all the rights. I never thought about the rights of Michael's father back then. And then AJ got so angry and vindictive. He eventually kidnapped Michael, Morgan, and Kristina. I felt that my decision was validated. But these last few days, I've been thinking about it. I've been thinking about what would've happened if I told AJ the truth from the beginning or just didn't get involved. Maybe AJ wouldn't have lost it the way he did. Maybe the reason AJ became who he was is because of what Carly, Sonny, and I did. Maybe Michael would've been better off. At the very least, he wouldn't have gotten shot," Jason said.

"So you do regret it."

"Yeah," Jason said after a minute. He couldn't believe it, but he regretting taking AJ's choice to be a father away from him. Robin was right. He didn't have the right to make that choice. Even if he had been right, he didn't have the right to make the choice. "You were right to tell AJ the truth and I was wrong not to. And Michael's suffering for it."

Robin looked through the window at Michael. The little boy was laughing. "Well, he doesn't look like he's suffering."

"He's too young to understand the full extent of what happened to him. He doesn't grasp that our world nearly killed him and probably will again. Hell, it might even kill him. I can't do anything about that. I can't remove him from this world. The only person who had even the slightest power to do so is dead," Jason said. A part of him wished AJ was alive just so he could take Michael away from this, and that was another thing he never thought he'd feel.

"Wait, would you help AJ take Michael if you could?" Robin asked shocked. It was one thing for him to express regret, but the way Jason was talking, he would help AJ get custody of Michael if he could.

"It doesn't matter. AJ's dead. Michael's stuck in this life," Jason said sadly before walking away.


	2. Chapter 2

Jason was sitting on the couch in his penthouse with a picture of Michael when he was a baby. It had been a couple of days since his talk with Robin and he still could think of nothing else but Michael and the pain he'd caused the boy by bringing him into this life. He tried to forget about it, as there wasn't much he could do now, but he just couldn't get it out of his head. He once again thought about every single decision he made for Michael, including the one to lie to AJ. That moment had shaped Michael's entire life and eventually led to him getting shot.

Jason had always tried not to play the 'what if' game, but at this point he couldn't help it. He couldn't help but wonder how Michael's life would've been altered if he'd been raised at least partly by AJ. He wouldn't have grown up around guns and danger. He wouldn't have had to look over his shoulder. He wouldn't have had to hear news of his father's arrest every other week. And he wouldn't have been shot.

Jason sighed. Things weren't supposed to be like this. Michael was supposed to be better off with Sonny and Carly. That was what he told himself. He told himself that the Quartermaines would ruin his life and Sonny and Carly would love him and keep him safe. He was wrong. The Quartermaines were far from perfect, but Michael would be safe with them and he wouldn't have to worry about getting shot or feel like he had to protect his family from getting hurt

Jason soon heard his door bust open. He turned to see Carly there. "Carly, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at the hospital?"

Carly closed the door. "Yeah. So should you. Michael's been asking about you. He's wondering why you haven't come to see him."

"Tell him I'll be there as soon as I can," Jason said before standing up. He went over to the mantle and put the picture of Michael back up there.

"Jason, why do you look so upset? You should be happy," Carly said.

Jason turned to look at her. "What should I be happy about, Carly? Michael getting shot because of me and Sonny?"

"Jason, Michael's fine. He's awake and laughing like nothing happened," Carly said.

"Yeah," Jason said unsettled. The fact that Michael was so unaffected by nearly dying added to his distress. No kid should be able to be shot and move on a few days later like it never happened. Michael was so used to being in harm's way that it didn't affect him at all. "Well, I can't pretend it never happened and you shouldn't either. Your son nearly died, Carly."

Carly's eyes hardened. "I'm aware of that, Jason. I was there. I got the call that my son had been shot and I was at the hospital scared to death while he was in surgery."

"Yet a few days after he wakes up, it's like you've completely moved on," Jason said.

"Because it's over," Carly said.

Jason looked at her like she'd grown a second head. He couldn't believe she really thought that this was over. He couldn't believe she could move on from this and pretend that the danger to her son no longer existed. Actually, on second thought, he could believe it. It was all any of them had done for years. Once an incident passed, they all moved on and pretended it never happened. They never wanted to accept that the life they all lived end so tragically for the children they forced into it, so they denied it. But Jason couldn't live in denial anymore, not after Michael was shot. "You're wrong. It's not over, it's only prolonged. It's prolonged until the next thing happens. Until Michael gets shot again, or maybe instead it'll be a bomb or…"

"Stop!" Carly yelled. She did not want or need to hear talk about her son getting shot again or blown up. "Look, I get that you're upset about what happened to Michael. All of us are upset about it, but talking about it happening again isn't helpful. It won't happen again."

"Unless you take action to get Michael and Morgan out of this life it will," Jason said.

Carly looked shocked for a minute, but she recovered quickly. "You don't want that. That's the fear and Elizabeth talking."

"Elizabeth? What the hell does she have to do with this?" Jason asked. That had come out of left field. Elizabeth had nothing to do with Michael or this situation.

"She's convinced you that your son can't be a part of your life because you're too dangerous and now that has you thinking the same thing about Michael. You can't listen to her. You can protect Jake and Sonny can protect Michael, Morgan, and Kristina," Carly assured him.

Jason immediately shook his head. "No. My son will _never_ be a part of this world. If he has to live his life never even knowing my name, so be it. I love him enough to stay out of his life to make sure he has one." He said before rushing past Carly. He grabbed his keys from the desk, his jacket from the hook, and then walked out the door.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Jason had gone for a ride on his bike. Before he knew it, he was at the Quartermaine Mansion. He entered through the back and into the living room. He wasn't sure why he'd gone there. Maybe because this whole thing all started when he took Michael from the Quartermaines.

When he got inside, he saw Monica sitting on the couch. She looked up at him. "Jason."

"Hi," Jason said quietly.

Monica stood up and guarded her son nervously. "Is everything alright? Did Michael take a turn for the worst? I heard he was gonna be okay."

"He's fine for now," Jason said.

"What do you mean for now?" Monica asked. Jason's words had not eased her mind at all. She'd discreetly looked at Michael's chart earlier and it said he was fine, but perhaps she'd missed something or there was a change in his condition. Gunshot wounds were unpredictable.

"I mean until the next thing happens," he said sadly.

Monica was taken by surprise, so much so that she wasn't sure how to respond. Normally she or someone else would bring up the danger aspect of his and Sonny's world and Jason would brush it off or leave. This was the first time her son had expressed to her concern over the danger. She did know he'd worried about it where Sam was concerned a while back, but never to her and never with Michael. Also, she'd never seen the pain and fear that were in his eyes now. Michael's shooting had truly spooked him.

"I know why you're not saying anything. It's because you agree that something else will happen and it's my fault," Jason said.

"Jason, no," Monica said immediately.

"It is," Jason said before walking past her and sitting down on the couch. "I brought Michael into this life. I told myself he would be okay and I was wrong."

Monica went and sat down beside her son. "You didn't know Michael would be shot."

"It doesn't matter. Choices have consequences and my choices led to this. I took it upon myself to make decisions for Michael and he's been hurt because of them. What's worse is that I didn't even have the right to make those choices. Despite what I let people believe, Michael was not my son," Jason said.

Monica was speechless once more. If she was hearing this right, Jason was expressing guilt and regret for lying to AJ about Michael. Could that be right?

"I keep thinking about what would've happened if I had told Carly no when she asked me to lie about being Michael's father. He wouldn't have been adopted by Sonny. He certainly wouldn't have been shot. I used to believe he wouldn't have been happy, but I don't really know that," Jason admitted. Now when he really thought about it open mindedly, he could never know how Michael truly would've grown up with the Quartermaines because it didn't happen. He did know that growing up with Sonny nearly got him killed though and it had him going off and buying a gun not too long ago.

"No, you don't. AJ loved Michael, Jason. He made some horrible choices, but only because he was desperate to know his son," Monica said.

Jason sighed. "I never saw AJ as loving Michael, especially after kidnapping him and telling him his family didn't love him."

"He shouldn't have done that. It was wrong for him to hurt Michael like that, but I believe he did it because he loved him and wanted to be a father to him. It was his choice and he's responsible for it, but he was driven to it," Monica said.

"You know, the other day, I found myself wishing he was here," Jason said.

"What?" Monica asked surprised.

"I was outside of Michael's room talking to Robin. I was telling her that I wished there was a way to fix this, to save Michael from anymore danger. I knew there wasn't anything I could do though. AJ, as Michael's father is the only one could've done something. But he's dead," Jason said.

Monica shifted uncomfortably. "Are you saying you'd want AJ to take Michael if he were here?"

"Robin asked something similar. It doesn't matter. He's not here and he never will be," Jason said.

"Please, Jason, what if he were?" Monica pushed.

Jason frowned. He wasn't sure why his mother was so interested in what he would do if AJ were alive. It wasn't like it would happen now. "I can't say for sure because he's not, but a large part of me feels that he'd be able to save Michael and that's what I want."

Monica wasn't sure what to do. For the first time in three years, she was considering revealing her secret, and to one of the last people she thought she'd ever tell. But Jason was right. AJ might be Michael's only hope. The problem was that she wasn't sure Jason was serious. It was easy to say something when you didn't think it was a possibility. If it came down to it, he might not follow through. On the other hand, Jason had always put Michael first no matter what.

"Monica, what's wrong?" Jason asked. He could tell something was bothering her.

Monica put her hand on top of her son's. "Jason, there may be a way to save Michal."

"How?" Jason asked.

Monica sighed and prepared herself. She really hoped she was doing the right thing. "You said you wished AJ were here. He's not here now, but he can be. Jason, AJ's alive."


	3. Chapter 3

Jason was taken completely by surprise by what Monica had just told him. In fact, he had to replay the words in his head several times. AJ was alive. He wasn't sure how that was even possible. He'd been declared dead by a team of doctors. How could that happen if he was alive? "How? How can he be alive? He was smothered with a pillow. People saw him die.

Monica nodded. "And technically, he did die. He flat lined and we all thought he was gone. The room was cleared except for me and AJ. I thought he was gone. But he came back. I guess the CPR worked after all. Anyway, I convinced Steven to help me fake his death and then I got to a clinic out of the country."

"You faked his death. People thought Michael killed him," Jason said with anger in his voice.

"I know. Believe me, I fought with myself on that, but I knew you would protect him. You wouldn't have let Michael go down for what happened. If it came to it though, I would've told the truth. Look, Jason, I had to do something. I know what he did was wrong, but he wasn't a terrible person. He just wanted to know his son. The fact that he would never know him was more than punishment enough," Monica said.

Jason sighed after a minute. "I guess I don't have much room to judge. It's not like I've never broken the law without paying for it. I just can't believe he's alive. Who else knows about this?"

"Just Steven Webber. It was supposed to stay that way, but you talked about wanting to save Michael from Sonny and wishing AJ were here to help with that. You mentioned possibly helping AJ get Michael back if you could. Does that change know that it's actually plausible?" Monica asked.

That was when it actually hit Jason. It was possible now. AJ was alive. He could try to take Michael. It would be hard, given that he still faced criminal charges and because Sonny had adopted Michael, but there was still a chance and Jason knew if he helped, he could increase the odds. The question was, was he really prepared to do that. He'd insinuated to both Monica and Robin that he'd be willing to and he'd thought it to himself as well, but that was when he thought AJ was dead and there was no chance of it. Now it was possible. Now he had to decide if he was willing to hurt everyone, including Michael, by helping AJ take him away from everyone he loved.

"Jason?" Monica pushed.

"I don't know. Where's AJ?" Jason asked.

Monica hesitated. Jason had just admitted himself that he didn't know what he was going to do. She was afraid that if she told him where AJ was that he might decide to tell Sonny or the police.

Jason could tell what his mother was thinking. "I'm not planning to turn him in, Monica, not to Sonny or the police. I just wanna know where he is in case I decide to talk to him. If I do decide to help him, I'm gonna need to know where he is."

Monica nodded after a minute and stood up. She went over to the desk and jotted down the address on a piece of paper. She then brought it over to Jason. "That's his address. I hope you do it, Jason. AJ deserved the chance to know Michael."

Jason stood up and took the piece of paper. "Thank you," he said before heading for the door.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Jason's next stop was to Robin's. He needed to talk to someone about this and Robin was always someone he could talk to when he needed to. She would listen and help him figure out what he should do.

Jason knocked on her front door and waited patiently for her to answer.

Robin opened the door a second later. "Jason. It's good to see you. Do you wanna come in."

Jason nodded and walked inside. "Are you alone?"

"Yeah," Robin said as she closed the door behind him. "I'm glad you're here. Our last conversation had me kind of worried about you. Are you okay?"

"I don't know. I'm still really worried about Michael. I don't want him to get hurt again," Jason said.

"Have you spoken to Sonny about this?" Robin asked before leading him into the living room and gesturing for him to take a seat on the couch before sitting herself.

Jason sat down next to her. "No. I talked to Carly. She doesn't seem to think there's a problem. She thinks everything will be fine, that Sonny and I will be able to protect the kids. I feel like she's in denial. She won't face the fact that Michael could be killed if she keeps him in this world."

"I'm sorry, Jason. I can see this is tearing you apart. All you have wanted was for Michael to be safe and happy. Now you know he's not safe and you can't do anything about it. I know that has to be killing you," Robin said sadly.

"There may be something I can do about it," Jason said.

Robin frowned in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Jason told Robin everything Monica had told him about AJ. "With him being alive, I might be able to save Michael."

Robin was shocked. She never guessed that AJ was alive, nor would she have thought that Monica would hide him. Not that she could blame her. A parent does what they have to do to protect their kids. "Wow. That's amazing. You're right, it changes things. AJ could fight for Michael."

"Maybe. There would be obstacles. AJ would have to deal with the criminal charges against him. Also, he signed his parental rights over," Jason said.

"Under duress," Robin pointed out. She didn't know exactly what Sonny had done, but she knew AJ wouldn't voluntarily relinquish his rights.

"I'd have to come forward. I'd have to tell a judge what Sonny did to get AJ to sign over his parental rights," Jason said. Sonny was his friend. He owed the man a lot. He never thought he would even consider going against him, but Michael was his son in his heart. He had to do what was best for him, and this time, it had to be what was really best for him. That was why he was hesitant one way or the other. AJ could save Michael from being shot again, but was he really the best option. No matter his reasons, AJ was still the person who kidnapped Michael and told him his parents didn't love him.

"I asked you the last time we talked if you would help AJ if he were here take Michael from Sonny and Carly," Robin reminded him.

Jason nodded. "I thought about it then. I'd wished AJ was alive so that I could correct the mistake I made twelve years ago, but…"

"But that was when you thought that wasn't possible. Now you're actually faced with the decision," Robin summed up.

"Yeah. Before it was just a thought that didn't matter. It matters now and I'm not sure what to do. I believe that Michael needs to get out of this world, but I'm not sure he'll be better off with AJ," Jason said.

"Jason, that's not your choice to make. You don't get to decide whether or not AJ is fit to be Michael's father. You admitted that at the hospital," Robin reminded him.

"But I do get to decide if I help him. I was wrong to say I was Michael's father. I still believe that. I should've stayed out of it. The decision wasn't mine to make, but now I do have a decision to make and I have to be sure about it," Jason said.

"Okay, you have a point. I'm sorry. This isn't the same as when Carly asked you to say that you were Michael's father. You don't have the luxury of staying out of it this time. You have to make a decision, and it's not an easy one. If you leave things alone, Michael could be hurt again, but if you help AJ, you're unleashing chaos. You're going against Sonny and Carly, both of whom you love. Sonny would never forgive you. He would feel you betrayed him and he would hate you for it. This decision could destroy you," Robin said sadly. She hated that her ex was faced with such a decision because he knew that it would tear him apart either way. It wasn't right. He shouldn't have been put in this position.

"And Michael will be hurt. He might be safe, but he won't wanna live with AJ. He hates AJ. If I do this, he might end up hating me too. I don't know what to do, Robin. Help me," Jason pleaded. He was so torn. He wanted to do what was right for Michael, but he wasn't sure what that was.

Jason's tone broke Robin's heart. It broke her heart even more that he was actually asking her to decide for him, something he resented more than anything. He hated people making decisions for him, but that was what he was asking her to do now. "I'll help you, Jason. I'll help you deal with the fallout of whatever choice you make. But I can't make it. You have to make this decision yourself because you're the one that has to live with it."

"Wh…what if I decide wrong again?" Jason asked.

"That happens sometimes. We don't always make the right decisions. You just have to do what you think is best and hope that it was best. If it isn't then you'll just have to live with it," Robin said.

Jason sat there for a few minutes and then stood up. "I should go. Thanks for listening. Please don't tell anyone about AJ."

"Of course I won't," Robin promised before standing up and briefly hugging him.

"I'll probably be leaving the country for a bit starting tomorrow," Jason said after they ended the hug

"Where are you going?" Robin asked. She knew the answer though. It was obvious. She wasn't even sure why she asked.

"To see AJ," Jason said before heading for the door


	4. Chapter 4

Jason stood in front of a house in Switzerland. According to the address Monica gave him, it was AJ's house. He never thought he would be doing this, and not just because he thought AJ was dead for three years. He never thought he'd meet with AJ contemplating even the possibility of helping him get Michael. But now he was more than contemplating it. He was seriously considering it.

Jason took a deep breath and rang the doorbell. About thirty seconds later, he was met with a very surprised AJ. Jason had almost expected Monica to call and warn AJ that he might come, but apparently that hadn't happened. "AJ."

"Jason. How'd you find me?" AJ asked in shock. Jason wasn't supposed to even know he was alive, no one was. How had he found out?

"Monica," Jason answered.

"Mom told you?" AJ asked surprised and slightly betrayed. His mother had been come up with the idea to fake his death. Why would she suddenly tell people that he was alive, especially Jason. She should know how much the man hated him.

"Yeah. She's hoping that I'll help you," Jason said.

AJ snorted. Like Jason would ever help him. Jason hated him. He'd stolen his son from him he hated him so much. "So you tricked her. You knew I was alive and you tricked her into giving you my address."

"No. I didn't know you were alive until Monica told me. Can I come in?" Jason asked.

"I'm surprised you'd even ask," AJ said before stepping aside. He knew if he didn't let his brother in that he'd just force his way.

Jason stepped inside and found himself in large living room filled with two black leather couches across from each other, a coffee table in the middle, and a large screen TV mounted on the wall. On the table, there was a picture of Michael from about a year earlier. He recognized it as a picture he'd given Monica. She must have copied it and given it to AJ.

AJ followed his brother's gaze to the picture of Michael. "You may be able to keep me from my son, but you can't stop me from having a picture of him. Well, unless you're here to kill me. Is that why you're here, Jase. You wanna finish what you started three years ago."

Jason turned back to AJ. "If I remember correctly, you're the one that pulled the gun that night."

"If I hadn't, you would've," AJ said.

"Yeah," Jason admitted. AJ was right. He would've been more than willing to kill AJ that night for hurting Michael. "You kidnapped Michael and let us think he was dead. Then you told him that Sonny and Carly didn't love him. Not to mention that you shot Alan."

AJ felt guilt stab him in the chest. He'd come to regret those actions so much. It took him time, but little by little he realized how much he'd lost it. He'd ended up hurting his own child. He'd also kidnapped two other children and shot his father. There was no excuse for that. He was desperate to get his son back, but he went about it the wrong way. He should never have told Michael that his loved ones didn't want him. He knew what it was like to feel that way and it was cruel for him to do it to Michael. "I lost it, okay? My child had been kept from me for years. He didn't know me because you, Sonny, and Carly took him from me. Sonny put me on a meat hook to make me give up my rights!"

"So you take it out on, Michael?" Jason asked. He'd told himself on the way here that he wouldn't fight with AJ, but being reminded of what AJ did to Michael was making him angry.

"I wasn't trying to take it out on Michael! I just wanted to know him! I wanted the relationship that you all deprived from me. You know, even that year that he lived with me, I didn't have a relationship with him because you and Carly undermined me. You were there for months playing 'daddy' to my child and Carly was probably going behind my back badmouthing me to him!" AJ ranted. He had a lot of rage still for what Carly, Sonny, and especially Jason had done to him and Michael. Jason was supposed to be his brother. He should've been on his side.

Jason couldn't deny that. He knew Carly talked about AJ badly to Michael behind his back and it wasn't right. Nothing that happened back then was right, nor what happened afterwards. It was something he saw very clearly now. He thought about every incident with AJ. Yes, AJ made mistakes where Michael was concerned, a lot of them, but they were all in an effort to have a relationship with him.

"Why did you do it, Jason? Why did you help them take my son from me? Why did you say you were his father?" AJ asked. He'd never asked the question before. In the past, he was too angry to care. He wanted an answer now though. He deserved an answer.

"Because Carly asked me to," Jason said simply. Even he knew it was a lame answer, but it was the truth and it had made sense to him at the time.

"That's it? You kept my son from me because Carly asked you to? I'm your brother! Maybe you don't wanna see me as your brother, but I am. You were supposed to be on my side!" AJ yelled.

Jason sighed. "Michael was Carly's. He was inside her and you and Tony were both threating to take him away like he was a piece of property."

"She drugged me! She made me think I'd relapsed so that I'd leave town without ever knowing I had a son! She poured Vodka all over me! I could've actually relapsed because of that, Jason! I didn't think he was fit to be a mother! If she hadn't done that, I would've gladly tried to work something out. She was my friend. I wouldn't have kept her from Michael. But I didn't feel that someone who could drug me was fit to raise my child. But you never cared that she drugged me," AJ said bitterly.

"Carly makes stupid choices when she's scared," Jason said.

"Scared? The only thing she was afraid of was losing her current conquest! You think that' a good enough reason to drug someone?" AJ asked.

"I didn't say that. Look, I just felt that as Michael's mother, she had the right to decide what was best for her child. Also, I didn't think a child should be brought into that house," Jason said.

"Oh, but a household with a mob boss and armed guards was okay? Michael was my child! I was not some abuser. I loved him. I had a right to be his father!" AJ yelled

Jason just looked at AJ for a minute. The other man was really angry, but for the first time, Jason saw something else too. In the past, all he saw was rage and hatred, maybe because it was more dominant or maybe because he didn't wanna see anything else, but now he saw a lot of pain and betrayal too. He used to believe that AJ didn't love Michael. He'd questioned that these last few days, but with what he was seeing now, he had serious doubts about his judgment. It made him feel very guilty. "You're right."

AJ's hot rage chilled immediately. He had not expected that reaction at all. In fact, he was half convinced that he misheard. "What?"

"I said you're right. Michael was your son. I had no right to say differently," Jason said.

AJ was completely dumbstruck. He never thought he'd hear those words from Jason. He'd always self-righteously claimed that he did the right thing. It made him angry every time. Now he was saying the opposite. It didn't make it better, but it did give AJ a small measure of satisfaction. "You finally admit that you were wrong. Why? You spent years saying I didn't deserve to raise Michael. Why now are you finally admitting you made a mistake?"

Jason looked down sadly. "Because something happened that made it clear that giving Michael to Sonny was the wrong choice. Michael got shot."

AJ's eyes went wide and he felt his stomach drop. For years he'd been afraid of this. He'd worried that his little boy would be hurt because of the world Sonny, Carly, and Jason dragged him into and now that fear was reality. "Oh my God! Is he okay?"

"He's fine. He woke up a few days after it happened and he's recovering well," Jason said

"How did it happen? How did my boy get shot? Why didn't Sonny protect him?" AJ demanded to know.

"He was with Sonny at the coffee warehouse when a snipe opened fire on Sonny. The shot missed and hit Michael," Jason said.

"How bad was it?" AJ asked.

"He was shot in the head," Jason said.

"Oh my God! Who shoots a freaking twelve-year-old! He's just a little boy," AJ cried.

Jason looked at AJ. Every bit of doubt he had that AJ loved Michael was gone. The man was breaking right in front of him at the knowledge that his son was hurt. Jason felt guilty, not just for Michael, but for AJ too. He had to make it right. He took Michael from AJ and now it was time to give him back.

AJ was in agony. All he could think about was his child being shot. He kept picturing his twelve-year-old son with a bullet in his head because Sonny raised him and Jason let him. Soon rage came back and he angrily grabbed Jason and pushed him against the wall. "You bastard! You did this! You give my son to that son of a bitch and he almost died!"

Jason didn't fight back. He couldn't bring himself to. AJ was right to blame him. This was his fault. He'd given Michael to Sonny, something he had no right to do, and Michael had suffered because of it. "You're right. It's my fault. But he's okay. He's gonna be alright."

"Yeah, and what about next time?" AJ asked angrily.

"It won't happen again," Jason assured him.

AJ let go of Jason. "Why? Because Sonny will protect him better? You're both delusional. You thought you could protect him this time and you were wrong. What makes you think next time will be different?"

Jason knew the next thing he said would change everything. There would be no going back from it. "Because we're gonna take him away from Sonny."


	5. Chapter 5

The next day, AJ followed Jason towards his penthouse. He could hardly believe this was happening. He had been shocked when Jason told him he was going to help him take Michael back. Jason had been the first one to take Michael from him in the first place. Well, with Carly's wishes. It was hard to believe that he would actually help him now, especially against Sonny and Carly.

Jason led the way inside the penthouse. He waited for AJ to come in and then closed and locked the door. He couldn't have someone coming in and seeing AJ there, especially Sonny or Carly. They needed the element of surprise.

AJ looked around the apartment. "You haven't changed this place much."

"No reason to," Jason said as he took off his coat.

AJ went over to the mantle where he noticed a picture of Michael. He immediately picked it up. "He looks even more grown up in this picture than in the one I have. I can't believe he's twelve already."

Jason nodded. "He's grown fast."

"What's he like?" AJ asked. He hated that he had to ask his brother what his own son was like. He should know about his own son. He should've been there to see that. He hated Sonny and Carly and even Jason to a certain extent. He didn't know his own son because of them.

"He's a good kid. He's protective and loving of the people he cares about. Sometimes that can be a problem though. It has him acting a bit like Sonny, wanting to take matters into his own hands," Jason said as he thought about not too long ago when Michael bought a gun and accidently shooting Kate.

AJ stiffened just at the thought of that. He put the picture back and glared at his brother. "That will not happen! Michael will not be like Sonny. He won't have any part of that life!"

"Agreed," Jason said immediately. He didn't want Michael becoming like him and Sonny either. "That's partially why I'm doing this. I wanna protect him from getting hurt again, but I also wanna make sure that he never joins this world."

Just then there was a knock on the door. Jason immediately pointed AJ towards the kitchen and watched him head that way. Then he went and answered the door. Sonny was there waiting. "Hey."

"Hey," Sonny greeted back before walking inside. "Where'd you disappear to? I came by yesterday, but you weren't here?"

Jason closed the door behind him. "I went out of town. I needed to get away for a couple of days."

"While Michael's still in the hospital?" Sonny asked.

"Michael was fine. He's still okay, right?" Jason asked slightly concerned.

"He's fine, though he doesn't understand why you haven't come to see him. Carly's wondering the same thing," Sonny said.

Jason sighed. "Carly told you about our conversation. You know then why I've been avoiding the hospital. How am I supposed to face Michael knowing that I'm part of the reason he's hurt?"

"Jason, I know that Michael getting shot hit you hard. How do you think I feel? He's my son," Sonny said.

Jason didn't reply. There was nothing he could say to Sonny now. He knew the man well. He was just as delusional and selfish as Carly. He wasn't going to hear that Michael wasn't safe with him.

"Look, Michael is okay now and we're gonna find out who did this. That's what you should be doing now. Find the bastard who did this and kill him," Sonny said.

"And what about the next one, Sonny?" Jason couldn't help but ask. He knew it wouldn't make a difference, but he couldn't help but question his soon to be former friend.

"It's not gonna happen again. Taking this son of a bitch will help ensure that. We'll show everything that coming after my kids is a death wish," Sonny said firmly.

Once again, Jason chose not to say anything. Sonny was delusional and there was no reasoning with him. In fact listening to him try to make this all okay made him even more determined to help AJ take Michael.

Sonny smiled, confident that he'd gotten through to his fiend. "You're good now, right? We get the people responsible for this and Michael is safe."

"I'll take down those responsible. I'll make sure it doesn't happen again," Jason promised. It was a promise he would keep. He wasn't speaking of the shooter though. Oh, he intended to make Michael's shooter pay, but he knew who he had to take on to protect Michael and the man was standing right in front of him. He didn't like that he had to do it, but he did.

"Alright, I'm heading to the hospital. You wanna come?" Sonny asked.

"Not right now. Tell Michael I'll see him soon, maybe tomorrow. I have some work to do," Jason said, knowing Sonny would think he was planning to search for the shooter.

"Good, you get to it. See you soon," Sonny said before heading for the door.

Jason watched Sonny leave and then waited about a minute before calling out to AJ. "He's gone."

AJ came out a second later. He looked livid. "That son of a bitch is gonna get my son killed!"

"No, he's not. He's not gonna have him much longer," Jason said.

"I was listening to him, Jason. He's out of his mind! He's acting like it's no big deal that Michael got shot!" AJ ranted.

"I wouldn't go that far, but you're right. He's not taking this as seriously as he should. He won't ever see that he shouldn't be in Michael's life," Jason said as he sat down on the couch.

"Well, that doesn't matter. Soon my son will be with me and free from that delusional, amoral son of a bitch. He'll never get near him again. We'll make sure of that," AJ said before a smug look came to his face. He couldn't help but feel giddy right now. He would be getting his son back soon and Sonny would finally pay for keeping them a part. "He has no idea that you've turned against him."

Jason cringed. He didn't like how smug AJ was right now. He certainly understood the pleasure AJ was taking from Sonny's impending misery given the history, but he didn't wanna see it. "Look, can you please not gloat in front of me. I'm not taking any pleasure in hurting Sonny."

"Sonny hung me from a meat hook and threatened me in order to get me to sign over my son. I have a right to want him to suffer," AJ said defensively.

"Yeah, I know, but I don't need to hear about it, neither does Michael for that matter. No matter what, he loves Sonny," Jason said.

"I get that. I won't gloat in front of Michael. I won't hurt him like that again," AJ said.

Jason cleared his throat. "Alright, we should get to work. The first thing we need to do is deal with the charges against you."

"Well, my plan three years ago was an insanity defense, but that's not gonna help me get custody of Michael even if I do get off," AJ said before sitting down in the arm chair by the couch. Saying he was crazy would keep a judge from giving him Michael.

"No, that's not an option. I've got a plan. We're gonna talk to Alexis," Jason said.

"Alexis? She won't help me. I kidnapped her daughter. She's not gonna defend me," AJ said.

"She's not a defense attorney anymore anyway. She's the DA. I'm hoping to get her to agree to a deal that doesn't have you going to prison," Jason said.

"Again, I bring you to the fact that I kidnapped her child. She won't want to help me and for good reason," AJ said. He could wholeheartedly understand why Alexis wouldn't want to lift a finger to help him. He wouldn't either if he was in her position.

"She might do it for Michael. Alexis has always been weary of the danger Sonny could pose to Kristina. She'd do anything to keep her child away from him. She'll understand the need to protect Michael. She just might agree," Jason said.

"I don't know," AJ said warily.

"It's the best chance you have. If this goes to court, you'll have to go through months of a trial before you can even try to get Michael. That'll give Sonny time to prepare and maybe get Michael out of the country. We have to get you out of this quickly and then try to hit Sonny and Carly with the custody suit when they're unprepared," Sonny explained.

AJ sighed. "Alright. I'm not wild about this idea, but I can't think of anything better. Call Alexis."

Jason immediately took out his phone to do so.


	6. Chapter 6

After hearing a knock at the door, Jason opened it slightly revealing Alexis. "Alexis, thanks for coming."

"It's fine, though I'm utterly confused as to why I'm here. You said you needed legal help. You do remember that I am now the DA, right?" Alexis asked.

"Yes. We need your help. I know you won't wanna help and it's unfair of us to ask you to, but I'm hoping you'll help anyway once you understand what's at stake. Just give us a chance to explain," Jason said.

"I'm assuming the other person is Sonny," Alexis said.

"No, it's not. Come in," Jason said before stepping aside to let her in.

Alexis had barely taken one step inside when she saw AJ Quartermaine sitting on the couch. She was more than a little surprised. Like everyone else, she believed AJ to be dead. "AJ?"

AJ stood up from the couch. "Hi, Alexis.

Jason closed the door. "Obviously he didn't die. I learned he was alive a couple of days ago and went to see him. We got back about an hour ago."

Shock quickly turned to anger as she realized that her child's kidnapper was standing right in front of her. She immediately took her phone out to call the police.

"Alexis, don't," Jason said before taking the phone from her hand.

Alexis rounded on him. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Look, I know you want him in jail, but please don't do it," Jason said.

Alexis looked at him incredulously. She couldn't believe that Jason actually expected her to let AJ walk. Hell, she couldn't believe Jason wanted that. He'd made his contempt for his brother very clear over the years. "He kidnapped my daughter!"

"Alexis, I am really sorry for what I did. There is nothing I can say to make what I did with those kids okay. I wanted my son back, but I had no right to hurt him or Morgan and Kristina that way," AJ said genuinely. He really was sorry for what he did. He felt horrible for the pain he put those kids and Alexis through. He wasn't sorry for hurting Carly and Sonny. They'd done much worse to him and others. But Alexis didn't deserve that and neither did the kids.

Alexis glared daggers at him. "I spent weeks wondering if I would ever see my daughter again! Faith was a sociopath! She could've killed my daughter for all I knew!"

"Alexis, he was wrong. What he did wasn't right, but what was done to him wasn't right either," Jason said.

Alexis rounded back on him. "You're defending him? You spent years hating him. You hired me to defend you in taking Michael from him."

"I was wrong to do that. I thought Michael was better off with me and then with Sonny and Carly. Not only was I wrong, but it wasn't my call to make. I have to fix it now. AJ is the only one with the power to save Michael. He can't stay with Sonny," Jason said earnestly. He had to get her to help them and he believed he could. She understood what he was saying. She'd been saying it for years. Sonny was too dangerous to be around his children.

Alexis looked at him in disbelief. Oh, she didn't disagree with him. She wholeheartedly agreed with Jason that Sonny was an extreme danger to his children. That was why she'd lied about Kristina's paternity for so long. But she was beyond shocked to hear the words coming from Jason. Michael's shooting obviously had an extreme impact on him.

"Alexis, please help us. AJ is Michael's father. He can take Michael away from Sonny. He can protect him. But first, he has to get out from underneath these charges," Jason said.

"You want me to plead him down," Alexis said. It was not a question. Once the shock wore off, it became clear that that was what he wanted.

"Yes. I know it's not fair to ask you to given the circumstances, but we have to. Michael's life is at stake. He's already been shot once. What happens next time? What if he doesn't make it next time?" Jason asked.

AJ shuddered just thinking about his brother's words. He had been thinking the same thing since Jason told him what happened to Michael and it killed him. He couldn't handle loosing Michael permanently.

"How would you even expect me to do this? He's facing very hefty charges that require serious jail time. That's if I was willing to help him at all?" Alexis said. She was still extremely hesitant to help at all. The only thing that made her consider it at all was Michael's wellbeing.

Jason sighed. "I've actually thought a lot about it. There's proof of AJ's involvement with Faith, but there's nothing that says he paid her to take Morgan and Kristina. AJ could say that he paid her to take Michael and that Faith decided to take Morgan and Kristina on her own. She hated Sonny. It's not so farfetched. So then it would just be Michael and Michael is his son. It's a lesser charge"

"You want me to say that he didn't take my daughter?" Alexis asked livid.

"For Michael's sake. You're a parent to Sonny's child. You know what it means to have your child in danger because of him. But you can take steps to protect your child. Michael has no one to do that for him right now. Carly is too much in denial to do what's best for him. AJ is the only one with the power to protect him that is willing. Please, Alexis," Jason practically begged.

Alexis rubbed her eyes. She still couldn't believe this was happening. "AJ signed away his parental rights. Even if he got off, he wouldn't be able to take Michael. Sonny adopted him."

"Sonny coerced him. He hung him from a meat hook and threatened his life," Jason said.

Alexis once again looked at Jason in shock. "Are you implying that you'd be willing to sign a statement and even possibly testify to that? That is the only way it would stand up."

Jason nodded. He didn't want to go completely against Sonny like that, but he would for Michael. "Yeah."

"You realize that if you do that, you're friendship with Sonny and Carly will be over, right? You can't go back from that," Alexis warned. Honestly, she applauded Jason if he was willing to do that for Michael, but he should be warned of the consequences.

"I know," he said.

Alexis sighed and turned to AJ. "I am doing this for Michael and no other reason. I want you to understand that. You belong in prison, but that would leave Michael in danger and I couldn't live with myself if he were killed because I didn't help you."

"Thank you," AJ said.

"I'll drop the kidnapping charges involving Morgan and Kristina," Alexis said through gritted teeth. She hated letting her off for her daughter's kidnapping. "You'll plead to Custodial Interference with Michael. It's substantially less serious. You won't do time. Running from the police and faking your death could be a challenge. A judge will be hesitant to let that go. But if Jason signs a statement about the meat hook incident, it could be argued that you feared for your life and therefore were fleeing Sonny and not the law."

"I'll do it. Thank you, Alexis," Jason said.

Alexis turned to him. "He has to turn himself in today. I can't argue a deal in front of a judge until he's charged and makes a statement."

"We wanna keep this from Sonny. We don't want him knowing AJ's alive until after this is all done and he's free to sue for custody," Jason said.

Alexis nodded. "We should be able to keep it quiet. Sonny and Carly are mostly preoccupied with Michael and his shooting anyway. I'll set up a hearing as soon as he's charged. We should be able to see a judge as soon as tomorrow."

"I'll turn myself in right away," AJ said.

Alexis looked at both brothers for a moment and then headed for the door.


	7. Chapter 7

Jason headed down the hall of the hospital to MIchael's room. He'd been putting it off, but now it was time to face his nephew. It would probably be the last time the boy looked at him without anger for a long time. AJ was in police custody now and his hearing was in the morning. Once that was done, they would begin right away in getting MIchael away from Sonny. And while Jason knew beyond any doubt that that was the right decision, he didn't expect Michael to see that.

Michael barely knew AJ and what he did know wasn't great. Michael only knew AJ as the man that kidnapped him and told him his family didn't love him. Not to mention that he loved Sonny to death. He would not want to live with AJ and he would hate Jason for helping him.

Jason opened the door to MIchael's room and stepped inside. The boy was sitting up in bed. He still had the bandages around his head, reminding Jason of what had happened because of choices he made.

Michael smiled the instant he saw his uncle. "Jason, you're finally here! I kept asking Mom and Dad when you were coming."

Jason walked further inside and let the door close behind him. "Hey. Yeah, I"m sorry I wasn't around."

"Mom says you feel guilty. I overheard her and Dad talking," Michael said.

Jason walked over and sat in the chair by MIchael's bed. "This shouldn't have happened, Michael. You should never have ended up this way."

"Jason, it's not your fault. Dad's enemies are responsible. You guys will make them pay," Michael said.

Jason cringed. Michael had just sounded like him and Sonny and he hated that. It was another reason he wanted MIchael as far away from this world as possible. He didn't want Michael being like them. "I wish you wouldn't talk like that."

"Why? You and Dad do all the time," Michael said.

"I don't want you to be like us, Michael. The lifestyle we chose is what got you into that bed," Jason said.

"It's not your fault, and it's not a big deal. I'm fine," Michael assured him.

"Yes, it is. We thought we were going to lose you. Don't make light of what happened. It's serious," Jason said.

Just then, the door opened, causing Jason and Michael to turn towards it and see that it was Robin.

Robin was surprised to see Jason. She thought he was still out of the country with AJ. "Hey, guys. How are you feeling, Michael?"

"I'm okay," MIchael said.

"Are you in pain?" Robin asked.

"A little, but it's okay," Michael said.

"Are you sure? I can give you something for it," she told him.

"No, I'm fine," Michael said.

Okay. Make sure to let a nurse know if it gets to be too much.," Robin said before turning to Jason and motioning for him to join her outside.

"I'll be right back, buddy," Jason said before following Robin out into the hall.

Once out in the hall, Robin turned around to face Jason. "Hey. I wasn't expecting you back so soon. When did you get back to town?"

"Today. Once I made my decision, I came back right away," Jason said.

"What decision did you make? What happened with AJ?" Robin asked quietly so no one would overhear.

Jason sighed. "AJ's in police custody."

"You turned him in?" Robin asked kind of surprised. She really thought that Jason was going to go the other way. Even though he was still torn about what to do, the last time they talked he'd seemed like he was leaning more towards helping AJ.

"No. He turned himself in. He's got a hearing tomorrow. A deal was struck where he won't do jail time. Then he'll sue for custody of Michael," Jason said.

"So you did decide to help, AJ."

"Yeah. Can we talk about this somewhere more private. I don't want anyone overhearing," Jason said.

"Yeah. Follow me," Robin said before leading the way down the hall. They stopped about halfway down and stepped inside an empty room. "We should be good here."

Jason made sure the door was closed before going over and sitting down on the edge of the bed.

Robin joined him and waited patiently for him to start talking. She could tell he was still having a lot of issues. The decision to help AJ hadn't gotten rid of his turmoil. If anything, it had made it worse because now he had to admit beyond a doubt that he was wrong, not to mention having to turn his back on Sonny and Carly. He had a lot to deal with.

Jason sighed. "I messed up so badly, Robin. Lying about Michael was the worst decision of my life."

"You thought you were doing the right thing," Robin said. She couldn't tell him that he was wrong about having screwed up because he wasn't, but his reasons were good. He did it because he thought it was right for Michael.

"I don't understand how. How could I have possibly thought it was best for Michael to grow up in this world? And how could I have thought it was okay to take AJ's son from him?" Jason asked. It wasn't just MIchael he felt guilty for. He felt bad for the pain he'd caused AJ too. He'd seen the man when he told him Michael had been shot. It had devastated him. AJ loved Michael so much. He'd had a right to get to know him.

"Jason, I don't know what to say to make you feel better. I can't say that you weren't wrong," Robin said. She wished she could say that. She wanted more than anything to make Jason feel better. She hated seeing him this way. But she couldn't do it. She couldn't and wouldn't lie to Jason and say that what he did was okay.

"No, you can't," Jason agreed. "When Michael was a baby, I was so sure that keeping AJ away was the right thing to do. Then he learned the truth and became so angry, I thought that was confirmation that I was right. He seemed to care more about revenge than Michael himself. I felt like he didn't really love Michael. But now I realize that I'm responsible for the anger he felt. Carly and I, and later Sonny, decided that he didn't deserve to know his own son. Why wouldn't he be angry?"

"Jason, AJ loves Michael," Robin said.

"I know he does. I saw how much he loves him when I went to see him. I saw the pain and fear in his eyes when he learned Michael was hurt. That's when I realized just how badly I screwed up. I knew I was wrong before then because my choice had hurt Michael, but after that, I realized what I'd done to AJ too. He didn't deserve what I did to him," Jason said before looking Robin directly in the eye. "You didn't deserve it either."

"What are you talking about?" Robin asked confused.

"I treated you horribly after you told AJ the truth. You were right to tell AJ. I'm sorry, Robin. I'm so sorry for blaming you. Nothing that happened was your fault. You only set out to correct my mistake," Jason said.

Robin smiled. "Thank you. So what now? What happens with AJ and Michael?"

"Well, there's the hearing tomorrow. I may have to testify and say that there was reason for AJ to be afraid for his life with Sonny and that was why he fled from Port Charles. I've already signed a statement, but Alexis says the judge might wanna hear it from me personally. After that, we start going for custody. The statement I signed mentions the meathook incident, so we should be able to get AJ's parental rights reinstated with it," Jason explained.

"This is gonna get ugly, for you, I mean," Robin said.

"Yeah," Jason agreed. He knew very well this would end badly. Sonny and Carly would hate him for this. He and Sonny had had issues before, like when he started going out with Courtney and when Sonny started with Emily, but this wasn't like either of those times. It had been tough, but they'd gotten through both those things. This wouldn't be like that. Sonny would see this as nothing more or less than complete betrayal.

Robin put her hand on top of his. "I'm here for you, Jason. I'll help you in any way I can."

Jason shook his head. "You and Sonny are close. I won't put you in the middle."

"Jason, I love Sonny. He's been like a brother to me. But I can't side with him on this. He's wrong. Besides, you need someone on your side and I'm happy to be that person," Robin said.

Jason took her hand in his and squeezed it. "Thank you.


	8. Chapter 8

The next day was AJ's hearing. They were all sitting in front of the judge as they got started. The judge started quickly after coming in. "So the defendant Alan Quartermaine Jr. is charged with Custodial Interference. He hired a known criminal to kidnap his son, whom he relinquished his parental rights to. Then he fakes his own death and fled. I understand there is a deal in place where he would serve no jail time. Ms. Davis, explain to me why I should agree to such a deal given the circumstances."

Alexis stood up. "Your Honor, the people have considered all of this very carefully. While the defendant did break the law and readily admits he did it, he has shown genuine remorse. After hearing his story, we believe there were extenuating circumstances. The child Mr. Quartermaine took, Michael Corinthos III is his son. For that reason, we brought the kidnapping charges down to custodial interference. It fits the criteria more."

"That might be true if he hadn't relinquished his parental rights and the boy weren't adopted by another. There is also the matter of him fleeing the jurisdiction," the judge said.

"Yes, well, Mr. Quartermaine claims that he signed those papers under duress and we were provided with evidence to prove that. This evidence also explains why he fled. He claims he fled because he was afraid of his life. With this evidence, we believe him," Alexis said.

"What evidence?" the judge asked.

Alexis picked up a folded piece of paper from the table and held it up. "This is a sworn statement stating that the man who adopted Mr. Quartermaine's son, Michael Corinthos Jr., forced him to sign over his parental rights."

The bailiff soon came over, took the piece of paper and brought it to the judge, who read it carefully before turning back to the gallery. He spotted Jason behind AJ. "Mr. Morgan, stand up please."

Jason immediately stood up from his seat.

"This statement was made and signed by you. You admit to writing it?" the judge asked.

Jason nodded. "Yes, Your Honor."

"Come take the witness stand please."

Jason walked over and up to the witness stand. He was quickly sworn in and then he took his seat.

"Mr. Morgan, according to this statement, Michael 'Sonny' Corinthos Jr., kidnapped the defendant, Alan Quartermaine Jr., hung him from a meathook for several hours, and threatened to have him killed if he didn't surrender his parental rights. Is that true?" the judge asked.

"Yes," Jason answered.

"And how do you know this?" the judge asked.

"Sonny told me himself," Jason said.

"When?"

"About six years ago," Jason answered.

"And you didn't say anything then. Why is that, Mr. Morgan?" the judge asked unhappily.

"Because I believed Sonny was right to do it. I believed that Michael would be better off without AJ in his life. I regret that decision more than I will ever regret anything else," Jason said before looking directly at AJ. "What I did was as wrong as it comes and I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I left Michael with a man that would put him in danger and I'm sorry for taking AJ's son from him. I'll never forgive myself for it."

AJ looked away from his brother and willed himself not to lose it. He'd waited eleven years to hear those words from his brother. He never thought it would happen. He never thought that his brother would not only admit he was wrong, but also say he was sorry. He couldn't say he forgave him, but the words did matter to AJ.

"You should be sorry, Mr. Morgan. If this is true, you and Mr. Corinthos manipulated the system and played God with a child's life. Take your seat,"

Jason stepped down and went back to his seat behind AJ.

Alexis stood up again. "Your Honor, given the statement you just saw yourself, not to m

ention Mr. Morgan's words just now, we believe leniency is in order. Mr. Quartermaine took his son because he felt he had no other recourse to be a father to the boy. He then ran out of fear of retribution from Mr. Corinthos."

"Mr. Quartermain, please rise," the judge said. He waited for him to stand and then continued. "Do you have anything to say before I rule?"

"Yes, Your Honor. My son was kept from me practically his entire life. I didn't even know he was my son until he was over a year old. His mother and my own brother conspired to make sure I never learned he was mine. When I found out he was, I was very angry. It was almost all consuming. My son was taken from me," AJ said.

Jason looked down in guilt as AJ spoke. He knew that guilt was never gonna go away and it shouldn't. He deserved to feel this guilt for the rest of his life. What he did to Michael and AJ was reprehensible. He still couldn't believe he'd been able to tell himself that it was right for so long. It seemed Carly and Sonny weren't the only ones delusional. The difference was that he finally woke up.

"But I was happy too. I had a son. I wanted to get to know him. I wanted a relationship with him. But his mother inhibited that every step of the way. She would talk badly about me behind my back and keep telling him that my brother was his father, even after Jason decided to step aside. Then when he was two, I lost him again. Sonny Corinthos took him from me. I spent the next three years trying to get him back. I was finally getting somewhere when Sonny hung me from that meathook. He got me to sign those papers and I lost my son for good. When he was nine, I was desperate. I wanted to know him so badly. So I hired Faith Roscow to take him. I know how wrong I was for what I did. I caused him as well as many others pain and I hate that. At the time, I just felt that if Sonny and Carly weren't going to play by the law, I shouldn't have to either. But I was still wrong to do it and I am sorry," AJ said.

The judge sighed. "Mr. Quartermaine, your actions regarding this child and the law were appalling. But so were the actions that led to you losing your son in the first place. Under the circumstances, I feel that Ms. Davis is right and that leniency is needed. I'm sentencing you to three years probation. I hope you realize what a gift this is. Anyone else in your position would be looking at several years in prison just for fleeing the county."

"I understand, Your Honor. Thank you," AJ said appreciatively.

"I am sure your next stop is family court. I hope it is anyway because any further illegal action involving this child, or anything else for that matter, will land you in prison for a long time. Court is adjourned," he said before banging his gavel.

Jason stood up and turned to Diane, who had been technically representing AJ, but hadn't had to really do anything. "Diane, thanks for doing this."

"Thank Alexis. I barely even spoke," Diane said.

"Still, you took the case when you shouldn't have," Jason said. Diane was Sonny's lawyer. It was a conflict of interest for her to take his case.

"You're right, I shouldn't have, but you're not the only one Michael's shooting has had an impact on," Diane said.

Alexis came over at that moment. "Congratulations, AJ. You don't deserve it, but you're free."

"Thank you, Alexis. I know you did it for Michael and I'm grateful," AJ said.

"Make sure you take the judge's warning seriously," Alexis said before walking away.

AJ turned back to Diane. "Okay, so what now."

"Now you need to find another lawyer. I can't defend you in a custody battle against Sonny. It's a very big conflict of interest. I can recommend someone for you if you want," Diane said.

"Thanks, that would be great. Jason says you're a shark, so if you can recommend someone just as good, I would appreciate it," AJ said.

Diane nodded. "I will tell you this though. You have one hell of a fight on your hands. I suggest you gear up for it."

"We will. Don't tell Sonny about this, Diane," Jason said.

"I couldn't if I wanted to. I'll send you a list of good family law attorneys by the end of the day," Diane said before heading to the door.


	9. Chapter 9

Jason opened his door to find a woman with shoulder length blond hair dressed in a black pant suit. He could only assume that it was the lawyer Diane recommended. "Sarah Russell?"

"Correct. Jason Morgan or AJ Quartermaine?" she asked.

"Jason. Please, come on in," Jason said before stepping aside. Once she was in, he closed the door behind her.

AJ, who had been sitting on the couch stood up to greet the woman.

"You must be Mr. Quartermaine then," Ms. Russell said.

"Yes. It's good to meet you," AJ said before briefly shaking her hand.

"You as well. I hear you're in need of a good child custody lawyer," Ms. Russell said.

"Yes. I need custody of my son. He's clearly not safe under his mother's care. She's allowed a mob boss to raise my son and he ended up getting shot," AJ said.

"Yes, I've been briefed. I spoke with Diane and I've reviewed the previous court hearings and motions between you and Mrs. Jax. I suggest we get right to it," she said before taking a seat in the arm chair.

Jason and AJ sat on the couch.

"Alright, Mr. Quartermaine, the first thing I want to do it prepare you. You are in for one hell of a fight. Custody battles are brutal, more so than criminal trials. You ever heard the phrase 'All's fair in Love and War'?" Ms. Russell asked.

AJ nodded. "I get it, there's no holds barred. Trust me, it's not my first custody battle."

"Still, I wanna make sure you're away just how ugly it'll get. In criminals, there are restrictions on what you can bring up. That's not so in a custody fight. Virtually everything you've ever done is admissible," she said.

"But that means everything Sonny and Carly have done is too," AJ said with a smirk. He was more than willing to go for blood where they were concerned. It was about time they experienced some pain. Yes, he would enjoy this. These people had taken so much from him and Michael.

Ms. Russell smirked right back. "Yes, it does. I'm glad you're thinking offensively because it's the only way you have even a prayer of getting your son back. His age alone is gonna be a problem for you, so you're going to need as much ammunition as possible."

"You're thinking that because Michael's so old that the judge is going to give him to Sonny and Carly regardless?" AJ asked worried.

"I'm saying it'll be harder. A judge won't take a twelve-year-old away from the parents he's grown up with very easily. It will take extreme circumstances."

"He got shot. I don't see it being more extreme," AJ said.

"You have things against you too, Mr. Quartermaine. Your recent sentence for Custodial Interference is one of them. You kidnapped your own son and allowed those he loved to believe him dead. You also drove drunk and bashed your brother's head in," Ms. Russell said.

"That was over a decade ago," Jason said. That shouldn't be used against AJ now. He had changed a lot since that accident and Jason didn't hold anything against him for it.

"It doesn't matter. It can still be used to claim he's dangerous to a child. To win this, we're going to need to fight fire with fire. They are going to bring up the past and so will we. We will need you, Mr. Morgan. I've heard a lot about you. You are Sonny Corinthos' right hand and Mrs. Jack's friend. You know a lot about them. You're probably the one person in this world with the power to destryoy them.

Jason looked away. Yes, he had the power to ruin Sonny and Carly, but he didn't want to. He still carried about both of them. He believed they were living in denial and needed to let Michael goared for them.

AJ noticed the torn look on his brother's face. "Jason, please. You know they shouldn't have him. They will end up killing him if he stays with him. You have to help me protect him."

Jason thought about how Michael looked in the hospital right after he got shot. He also thought of AJ's emotional statement at his hearing. He owed this to them. He was the one who caused this in the first place. He'd taken AJ's son and put Michael in danger. He had do what it took to make it right. "I'll say whatever you need me to.

"I'm going to need everything you have on them. You'll need to testify too," Ms. Russell said.

Jason nodded.

"Okay, so when do we start? How soon do we go to court?" AJ asked eagerly. He wanted Michael safe with him as soon as possible. Wow, he couldn't believe this was happening. He actually had a chance to get his son back.

"Slow down. This is going to be a process. The first thing we need to do is get your parental rights reinstated. You can't sue for custody of a child that isn't legally yours. I'm going to file an order to contest his adoption. We'll explain that signed your rights away under duress," she explained.

"If that happens, will I be able to see Michael?" AJ asked hopefully. He wanted to see his son so badly. He hadn't seen his son in three years. It was killing him.

"I should be able to work that, but don't approach him or anyone else involved in the meantime. We don't want to give the other side any more ammunition. Now, Mr. Moran, I think it's time you tell me everything you know that can help," Ms. Russell said.

Jason took a deep breath and prepared to betray Sonny and Carly completely.


	10. Chapter 10

Jason walked into the Penthouse with two take out bags from Kelly's. AJ still couldn't go out in public. Well, he could, but it was better that he didn't. They wanted Carly and Sonny to be completely blindsided when they received the court summons. That way they wouldn't have as much time to prepare for it.

AJ, who had been upstairs when Jason arrived, came down. "Hey."

"Hey. This one's yours," Jason said as he held a bag out for him.

AJ took the bag. "Thanks. I've missed Kelly's food. I do wish I could've gone myself though."

"You shouldn't be seen until Sonny and Carly have gotten the court documents," Jason said.

"What makes you think they haven't?" AJ asked as he sat down and began to dig into his breakfast.

"If they had, one or both of them would've been here," Jason said. He knew that Carly at least would've barged in by now frantic over the situation. Sonny probably would've come as well to inform him of the situation.

Just then there was a knock on the door.

"Speaking of?" AJ wondered.

"We'll find out," Jason said before guesturing AJ towards the stairs.

AJ immediately got up and headed to the stairs.

Once AJ was gone, Jason opened the door to find Monica there. "Monica."

"Hi," Monica said before brushing past her son into the house. "I've been trying to call you."

Jason closed the door and turned to her. "I know. I'm sorry I couldn't answer or call back. Things were very hectic and I couldn't give you any answers."

"Well, you need to," Monica said almost forcefully. "I put AJ's fate in your hands. I need to know what you did with it. Have I betrayed my son?"

"No," AJ's voice rang out.

Monica turned towards thee stairs where she found her oldest son. "AJ."

AJ walked down the stairs. "HI, Mom."

Monica immediately hugged her son as soon as he got close enough. "It's so good to see you, AJ. I"ve missed you so much."

"I've missed you too, Mom. Don't worry, you don't have to miss me anymore," AJ assured her before pulling away.

"I wouldn't go that far. You're still wanted by the police," Monica said.

AJ shook his head. "No, I'm not. I've been back for a bit, Mom, and we've been busy. I've already had a hearing on my crimes. I pled guilty to custodial interference and I was given probation."

"A judge went for that?" Monica asked surprised. She wasn't at all complaining, but she was surprised that a judge was so lenient.

"Well, after Jason testified about what Sonny did to make me sign Michael away, the judge felt kind of sorry for me," AJ said.

Monica turned to her other son and hugged him. "You did it. you brought your brother home and made it possible for him to be free and maybe even get his son back. Thank you."

Jason pulled away and shook his head. "No, don't thank me. All I did was try to fix a mistake that I made. I"m the reason Sonny got Michael in the first place. I made it possible for him to take him in the first place. I'm also the one that agreed to lie about who MIchael's father was. This whole thing started because of me."

"Well, to be fair, it started because of Carly," AJ said. He was still really pissed at Jason, but Carly was the one who put this all in motion. He blamed her the most, even more than Sonny. She was the first one to try to take his child away and she was the one that let Sonny adopt him. She'd hurt him and Michael more than anyone.

"You will be fighting for Michael, right, AJ?" Monica asked.

AJ nodded. "We've already started. I have a great lawyer and we've filed the necessary paperwork to nullify Sonny's adoption of Michael on the grounds that it was done illegally. Jason's gonna testify, so hopefully we can prove that Sonny forced me to sign those papers."

"Do you know when the hearing is?" Monica asked.

"Yeah, two weeks from today actually, at ten in the morning," AJ said.

"I will be there for you, so will Edward, and maybe even Tracy. We will be there to make sure you have support," Monica promised.

"They can't know until after Sonny and Carly get word of what's going on. We know it won't be much of one, but we're trying to keep any advantage we have. Even a few days could make a difference with Sonny. And no one can know that I'm a part of this until the hearing. I guess I'm what you would call a trump card. AJ's lawyer wants to surprise Carly and Sonny with me," Jason said. He still hated being used like this to hurt people he considered friends, but he had no choice. He had to do this for Michael and AJ. He owned them both.

Monica eyed him sympathetically. "This can't be easy on you. I know how much you care about Sonny and Carly, even though they don't deserve it."

"Monica…"

"I'm sorry, Jason, but I will never see them as anything but people who ruined my sons. There's no doubt that they destroyed AJ's life and I believe they destroyed yours too. Sonny never should've brought you into this world," Monica said. She hated Sonny for that. He'd turned her son into a killer. He'd ruined his life.

"I made that choice, Monica," Jason said.

"He took advantage, Jason," AJ said.

"Your brother is right. I know you don't like thinking of yourself as having been damaged, and perhaps that's the wrong word for it, but I believe that you weren't fully capable of understanding what you were getting into at the time. Can you say now that you would've made the same choice if you could change things?" Monica asked.

Jason thought of everything he'd lost because of the mob, including being able to know his own son. "No, I can't."

"And Carly's no better. She ruined your life in many ways too. You and AJ didn't have a great relationship, but you didn't go to war until she got involved. Not to mention that she destroyed your relationship with Robin," Monica said. Out of all the women her son had been with over the years, Robin was the one she believed was best for him. They'd loved each other so much and Monica believed her son was the happiest with her.

"That one was definitely on me. I kept letting Carly come between us and she couldn't handle that. She shouldn't have had to either," Jason said regretfully. He hated how he'd hurt Robin. Aside from what he did to AJ and Michael, it was his biggest regret, that and how he treated her when she told AJ the truth. "Look, it doesn't matter who's to blame anymore. As soon as I take the stand and speak against them, Sonny and Carly will be out of my life anyway."

"I'm sorry, Jason. I'm so glad for what you're doing, but I wish it didn't cause you pain. I want you to know that I'm here for you too," Monica said.

"Thanks," Jason said.

"Alright, I should go. I'll see you both at the hearing," Monica said.

"Thanks, Mom, for being there for me these last three years and for telling Jason where to find me. You've helped a lot," AJ said.

Monica smiled and hugged both her sons before heading out.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Robin was standing at the nurses station looking for a file when she heard a familiar voice. "Hey, sweetheart."

Robin turned to see Sonny. She was kind of hoping not to see Sonny for a bit. She had sworn to stand by Jason as he stood by AJ and she would do that, but that didn't make facing Sonny and keeping things from him any less difficult. She believed Jason and AJ were right, but she still loved Sonny. "Hey, Sonny. You hear to see Michael?"

"I just saw him. I promised to bring him breakfast," Sonny said.

Robin gave him a look. "You are not supposed to smuggle food into the hospital, Sonny."

Sonny smiled. "Eh, I've done much worse that I'm not supposed to. Hey, have you seen Carly at all? She was supposed to meet me here with Morgan. We wanted the boys to have breakfast together like normal. Morgan's been kind of upset about Michael being hurt and in the hospital."

"No, I haven't, and that's something that I am always grateful for," Robin said. A day she didn't see Carly was always a good day.

"Sonny!"

Sonny and Robin both turned to see a frantic Carly rushing towards them. "What's wrong?" Sonny asked concerned.

Carly held up a document the second she got to Sonny. "This came right after Jax left this morning. It's unbelievable!"

"What is it?" Sonny asked as he took the papers from her.

"It's a court summons. You'll probably get yours next. We have to appear in court for a hearing to overturn Michael's adoption!" Carly said frantically.

Sonny read the document. "Petitioner, Alan Quartermaine Jr.? What the hell? AJ's dead."

"Not according to that he's not. He's alive and he's once again trying to take our son away!" Carly yelled.

"That son of a bitch isn't taking Michael. Come on, we'll figure this out at my place," Sonny said before taking Carly by the arm and leading her away.

Once they were gone, Robin took out her phone and dialed a number. She brought it to her ear and waited for an answer. "Jason, it's Robin. LIsten, Carly and Sonny know about AJ and about his intention to take Michael. Be prepared because they will be coming to you soon."


	11. Chapter 11

Jason made his way into Sonny's house and to the living room. After getting off the phone with Robin, Jason decided it was best to head Sonny and Carly off before they got the chance to come to his place. He didn't wanna take the chance that they would see AJ.

As he got to the door of the living room, Jason could hear Sonny and Carly.

"He could take our son away!" Carly was yelling.

"I'm not gonna let that happen," Sonny assured her.

Jason opened the doors and walked inside, causing them to turn to him.

"Hey. Have you heard?" Sonny asked.

"Yes," Jason said. Any lie he could avoid telling he would.

"Robin must have told you, probably to try to calm the situation. So, I just found out that AJ turned himself in about a week ago. Somehow, he kept it quiet. She made a deal with Alexis to only be charged with Michael's kidnapping," Sonny said through gritted teeth. He was pissed about that. He couldn't believe Alexis hated him so much that she would let Kristina's kidnapper get away with it just to spite him.

"How could she do this?! AJ kidnapped her child too! How could she just let him go?!" Carly asked loudly.

"To make it worse, Diane apparently defended him, so she can't help in the hearing. Not that it even matters. AJ has no chance. I adopted Michael. He can't do a thing to take him from us," Sonny said confidently.

"He obviously thinks he can," Carly said. She was worried. AJ obviously thought he had some kind of leverage to use in this hearing. Why else would he petition for it. He'd already done it before and lost, so he must think he had something new.

"He's delusional and it's gonna bite him. The judge will tell him to go to hell and he'll go find the nearest bar," Sonny said.

Jason thought it was pretty ironic that Sonny called AJ delusional, as that was how Jason saw Sonny. Sonny was delusional to think that he could protect Michael and that MIchael was better off with him than AJ.

"Are you sure? What if he uses the shooting?" Carly asked.

"It won't matter. He signed away his rights and no one can prove he didn't do it of his own free will. It'll be fine. We won't even have to do anything at this hearing but sit there," Sonny said.

"So you don't wanna do anything about this?" Jason asked. He needed to be sure Sonny didn't intend to come after AJ. If he did, Jason would have figure out a way to protect him.

"No. If AJ turns up dead right before the hearing, we'll be the first people the cops come after. Besides, AJ getting laughed out of court is better than killing him," Sonny said with a cruel smirk.

Jason was forced to bite his lip. He felt the urge to defend AJ and he had to squash it. He found himself sympathizing more and more with the man. He didn't deserve what they'd all done to him and or the cruel pleasure Sonny was taking in the prospect of him losing and self-destructing.

"So the hearing's in a couple weeks. You'll be there, right?" Sonny asked.

"Yeah, Jason, we need you," Carly said.

Jason felt a twinge of guilt. He was really struggling with his loyalty to Sonny and Carly and his desire to save Michael and make amends to AJ. He was right to do this. Sonny and Carly were wrong. This whole conversation made him even more sure of that, but he still spent the last last decade and change thinking of them as family. "Yeah, I'll be there. What are you gonna tell MIchael?"

"We'll tell him that AJ's alive, what he's planning, and that I'm handling the situation," Sonny said.

"Anything you want me to do?" Jason asked. He had to ask. He knew they expected him to.

"I don't think so. I've gotta get a lawyer, but that shouldn't be a big deal. Like I said, AJ has no chance. He's setting himself up to fall on his face. Just be there for the hearing. You wouldn't wanna miss it," Sonny said.

Jason nodded curtly. "I should go."

"Alright, we'll see you later, man," Sonny said.

Jason nodded once more and headed out.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

A couple of days later, Jason decided to go see Michael. He hadn't planned to, but he wanted to see how the boy was taking the news about AJ and just how much he would hated him when he learned he was helping AJ.

Jason walked in to see Michael playing a handheld video game. "Hey, buddy."

Michael looked up and immediately put the game down. "Hi, Jason. I'm glad you came back."

"Yeah, I'm sorry. I had some things I had to deal with. That's why I haven't been here often," Jason said.

"Was it AJ?" Michael asked. His parents had come the day before to tell him that his biological father was alive. He had been shocked to hear it and not entirely sure how to feel about it.

"Sonny and Carly told you," Jason said as he sat down beside Michael's bed.

"Yeah. They said he was alive and is trying to say Dad isn't my dad," MIchael said irritably. He wasn't sure how to feel about AJ being alive, but he knew how to feel about the rest. He hated that AJ was trying to take him from his parents again.

"How do you feel about that?" Jason asked.

"He can't say that Dad isn't my dad! He can't take me away from my parents!" MIchael said firmly.

Jason felt guilt again. He knew this was going to hurt Michael and it was his fault. If he hadn't helped take Michael from AJ, he would already be with him and wouldn't have to worry about being ripped away from a different life. "I actually meant about him being alive."

MIchael sighed. "I'm not sure. I hate AJ for what he did to me, Morgan, and Kristina."

"What he did was wrong," Jason said. He would never deny that. AJ had lost it due to everything that he, Sonny, and Carly had done to him, but it was still wrong for him to hurt those kids.

"He kidnapped us! He told me that Mom and Dad didn't love me anymore! I hate him for that! But I don't know how to feel that he's alive? How am I supposed to feel, Jason? Am I supposed to be upset or happy?" Michael asked.

"You're not supposed to feel any certain way. You feel how you feel. No one can tell you you're wrong for your feelings. Feeling a certain way isn't wrong. Now, sometimes our feelings lead us to do things that are wrong," Jason said. He knew that better that last part better than anyone. He'd let his feelings about the Quartermaines lead him to take Michael away from them.

Michael shrugged. "It doesn't matter, I guess. He's alive and he's trying to take me away from Mom and Dad. It won't work though, right? Dad adopted me, so I'm his son now. The judge can't reverse that, can he?"

"I'm not gonna lie, MIchael. Legally a judge can reverse an adoption. It's not something that usually happens, but it can," Jason said.

"Do you think that will happen this time?" Michael asked. He'd asked his parents these same questions, but he knew they might lie to protect him from the truth. Jason wouldn't. Jason would tell him the truth no matter how much it might hurt.

Jason hesitated. He didn't wanna lie, but he couldn't tell Michael that the adoption probably would be overturned. MIchael would tell Sonny and Carly and they would confront him about it. So in the end, Jason decided to answer the question without really answering it. "In order to get your adoption reversed, AJ would have to prove that it was done illegally. That's basically what this hearing will come down to."

Michael sighed in relief. "So Mom and Dad are right. AJ doesn't have a chance."

"I...I think the judge will make the right decision," Jason said.

"Good," Michael said with a smile.

"I gotta go," Jason said before standing up. He looked at the boy for a minute before saying, "I love you, Michael."

"I love you two, Jason."

Jason stood there for an extra minute and then walked away.


	12. Chapter 12

AJ sat in his chair in the courtroom with his lawyer sitting next to him. He was extremely nervous. HIs lawyer told him he had a good chance of getting the adoption reversed, but he was still nervous. He'd been fighting for his son for over a decade and it always ended with him losing. Yes, now he had Jason, but he was still scared that somehow Sonny would turn it all around.

AJ soon heard someone come in. He turned around to see Sonny and Carly walk in with Jax and what looked to be a lawyer close behind them

Carly was glaring at AJ while Sonny smirked coldly at him. They started making their way over to him.

"Do not say one word to them. Do not react in any way. Keep your face completely neutral. You can gloat later," Ms. Russell told AJ.

AJ watched as Sonny and Carly came over to him. As his lawyer suggested, he didn't say anything. He knew it wouldn't be good for him to show his hand.

"Well, I guess it's true. You're back. Of course, the court documents were proof of that, but there's nothing like actually seeing it. I've gotta say, this was impressive. You played your hand well. You waited until Michael got shot before coming back and trying to weasel your way into his life. I don't know yet how you kept it quiet while you got the charges against you practically dropped and filed this ridiculous petition," Sonny said.

AJ looked at Sonny impassively without a word.

"Mr. Corinthos, you need to walk away," Ms. Russell said.

Sonny continued as though the woman had never spoken. "It is ridiculous, AJ. You're going to be laughed out of here."

"You're never taking our son! You won't ever get near him again! I won't let you hurt him again!" Carly yelled.

AJ wanted to scream at Carly right now. He wanted to yell about all the damage _she_ had done to their child. She had placed him in a world that ended up getting him shot. He could've died because of her. AJ wanted to remind her of that, as well as tell her how horrible a mother she was. But he knew he couldn't do that. He couldn't engage them right now.

"Mr. Corinthos, Mrs. Jax, you both need to walk away and take your seats," Sonny and Carly's lawyer said.

"He's right, Carly. Let's go sit down," Jax said as he led his wife over to the other side of the gallery.

Sonny and Carly took their seats next to their lawyer while Jax sat behind them. Carly stared at AJ. "I can't believe he didn't say anything."

"He listened to his attorney, unlike the two of you. I told you not to speak to him," their lawyer admonished.

"Come on, it doesn't matter that we talked to him. You said yourself that he has no chance," Sonny said.

"No, I said that given that Mr. Quartermaine signed away his parental rights, I didn't see any way of him convincing a judge to overturn the adoption. I never said there wasn't one. I also said that Sarah Russell is one of the best family law attorneys in New York. She always has something up her sleeve. Underestimating her is a bad idea," he said.

Sonny waved his concerns off. "AJ's nothing but a worthless loser. No judge is gonna listen to him."

Just then, the Quartermaines entered the room and headed over to AJ. "AJ," Monica called out.

AJ turned to see his mother, grandfather, and aunt. He immediately hugged his mother. "Hi, Mom. I'm glad you're here."

"I told you I would be," Monica said before pulling away.

AJ eyed his grandfather next carefully. He wasn't sure what kind of reception he'd get from the man. "Hi, Grandfather."

"AJ," Edward said before placing a hand on the younger man's shoulder. "It's hard to believe you're actually here. Monica told us, but seeing you and touching you makes it real."

"I'm so sorry for everything I put you and the rest of the family through," AJ said.

"You mean shooting your father and faking your death?" Tracy asked coldly.

"Enough, Tracy," Monica said with a glare.

"We're sorry too, son. We're sorry for not giving you the support you needed. Perhaps if we did, things wouldn't have gone so wrong for you. We're here now, AJ. We will be here behind you as you fight for your son," Edward said.

"Thank you, Grandfather," AJ said appreciatively.

"Daddy, we should sit down," Tracy said before leading her father towards their seats.

Monica pulled AJ a couple of feet away and spoke quietly. "Where's Jason?"

"He's here. He's just waiting until the last minute to come in."

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Jason arrived outside the courtroom minutes before the hearing would start. He'd been at the courthouse for a while now, but he'd stayed in the car for a while so he wouldn't be seen. He didn't want to go inside until he had to.

"Jason."

Jason turned to see Robin coming his way. "Hey. I didn't know you were coming."

"Well, I told you I was gonna be here for you and I meant it. I know how difficult this day is gonna be for you. You have to turn on Sonny and Carly to give Michael and AJ what they deserve. I wanted you to know someone was here for you," Robin said.

"Thank you," Jason said. He was grateful for Robin's support. He didn't deserve it after the way he'd treated her so many years go, but he was glad for it.

"How come you haven't gone in yet?" Robin asked.

"I…I wanna wait until they start. I don't want Carly and Sonny to see me before I'm called. I don't wanna sit on their side of the gallery and pretend I'm there for them. I know it won't really matter in the end, but it's just one lie I'd rather not tell," Jason said.

"I know how much you're hurting right now, Jason, but you're doing the right thing," Robin said.

"I know. I know I'm doing the right thing, but I also know that Sonny and Carly won't see it. They'll hate me for this, so will Michael," Jason said.

"Welcome to my world," Robin couldn't help but say.

Jason just looked at her.

"Jason, when I told AJ the truth, I knew I was right. He had the right to know MIchael was his son. He had the right to get to know him. And Carly would've continued to use Michael as a weapon to hurt you. I had to end all that. But I knew you wouldn't see any of that. I knew the minute I told AJ the truth that you would hate me for it. That knowledge tore me up inside, but I still had to do it, just like you do," Robin explained.

"I'm sorry, Robin. I treated you awful back then, even before you told the truth. I loved you so much, but I felt like I had to put Michael first, and to me, that meant putting Carly first too. I'm so sorry," Jason said with pain and remorse in his voice.

"I know. I accept your apology. I know you regret everything you did back then. I wish you had seen the truth then, but I'm glad you do now and I do forgive you," Robin said.

"Thanks," Jason said.

"We should go in. If they haven't started yet, they will any second," Robin said.

Jason nodded and led the way inside.


	13. Chapter 13

Jason and Robin walked into the courtroom just after the hearing began and took their seats together in the back of the courtroom on AJ's side. Robin put her hand in Jason's to offer comfort.

Jason squeezed her hand, grateful for the support and turned to the judge. Fighting between the lawyers had already begun.

"Your Honor, this entire hearing is ridiculous. My client legally adopted this boy six years ago. Mr. Quartermaine has no standing to contest it," Sonny's lawyer said.

"He's got a point, Ms. Russell. Give me a reason why I shouldn't dismiss right now," the judge said.

Ms. Russell stood up. "Your Honor, we contend that the adoption was illegal and should not hold up."

"I'm looking at the file now and I see nothing to suggest that. Your client signed away his parental rights and, with the mother's permission, Mr. Corinthos went through the adoption process. Are you suggesting that these documents were forged?" the judge asked.

"No, Your Honor. The documents themselves were signed by the appropriate people, but my client did not sign willingly. He was forced into by Mr. Corinthos," Ms. Russell said.

"Your Honor, that is a baseless accusation. There is no evidence whatsoever that my client did anything to get Mr. Quartermaine to sign over his rights. He simply made a choice and regretted it too late," Sonny's lawyer said.

"It is not baseless. We have a witness to prove it," Ms. Russell said.

Carly turned to Sonny after hearing that. "A witness?"

"It's impossible. None of my people who be stupid enough to come forward like this," Sonny said. He was, however, feeling a bit worried. What witness was AJ's lawyer talking about?

"What witness is that, Ms. Russell?" the judge asked.

Jason took a deep breath as he prepared to be called to the stand.

"Jason Morgan."

There were several gasps throughout the courtroom. No one expected Jason to be called to help AJ, least of all Sonny and Carly. They both were shocked to hear that their friend was being called against them.

Jason let go of Robin's hand and slowly made his way down the aisle. He caught a glance from Sonny, who seemed to be silently asking what was going on, but he ignored him and walked to the witness stand.

Sonny's lawyer sat down and whispered to him and Carly. "Would the two of you like to tell me something?"

"Jason would never turn against us. AJ and his lawyer are delusional if they think he will," Sonny said. He was still shocked that Jason would be called against him, but he chalked it up to AJ being desperate and stupid.

Jason, meanwhile, had been sworn in and sat down.

Ms. Russell picked up a copy of the statement Jason made to the police and approached him. "Mr. Morgan, you know all parties involved in this case, correct?"

"Yes," Jason answered.

"Explain to the court your relationship please," Ms. Russell said.

"AJ Quartermaine is my older brother, Sonny Corinthos is my business partner and friend, and Carly Jax is my friend," Jason said.

"And do you still consider them friends, Mr. Morgan?" she asked.

"Yes," Jason said. He did still consider them friends. He believed that they had made some horrible decisions regarding their kids and that they were incapable of realizing that and doing the right thing, but he still cared about them.

"So then you have no reason to want to hurt them?"

"No," he said.

"Take a look at this, Mr. Morgan," Ms. Russell said as she handed him the document she was holding. "You wrote this, correct?"

Jason looked at it before nodded. "Yeah, I wrote it."

"Could you read it out loud please?" she asked.

Jason cleared his throat and began to read. "Michael 'Sonny' Corinthos confided in me that in 2003, he was able to get his stepson's biological father, Alan Quartermaine Jr. to relinquish his parental rights. He confided that he did this using less than ethical and legal means."

Sonny stood up angrily. "What the hell are you doing, Jason?!

Carly on the other hand looked stricken. She couldn't even speak at watching someone she thought would always be there for her completely turn his back.

"Mr. Corinthos, take your seat now and remain quiet!" the judge ordered firmly.

Sonny did so while glaring at Jason. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Jason had just betrayed him. _Jason. _He was the one person he thought would never turn his back on him, but it sure seemed like he was doing that now.

"Go on, Mr. Morgan," the judge said.

Jason continued to read. "Sonny told me that he had AJ picked up and held him on a meathook all night to get him to sign over his parental rights. Even under these circumstances, AJ refused to sign. It was then that Sonny threatened his life, threatened to kill him and make it look a drunk driving accident. AJ signed the papers to save his own life."

Carly finally found her voice and jumped up. "Jason, how could you?! How can you turn on us like this?!"

AJ could no longer hide his glee. He was smiling from ear to ear at Carly and Sonny's outrage at Jason's 'betrayal'. The shoe was finally on the other foot. Now they knew what it was like to have someone they loved completely turn their backs on them. The ironic part was that it was the same person.

"Mrs. Jax, Mr. Corinthos, if either one of you interrupt again, you will be spending the night in jail. Now sit down, Mrs, Jax!" the judge said.

Ms. Russell took the letter from Jason. "You admitted to writing this, Mr. Morgan. So you're testifying that Mr. Corinthos used force to get Mr. Quartermaine relinquish his parental rights? He told you he did this?"

Jason looked at Sonny and saw the completely murderous look the man was giving him. He'd seen the look before. It was how he looked at people he was trying to intimidate. "Yes."

"One more question, Mr. Morgan. What has your relationship with Mr. Quartermaine been like?"

"We haven't had a relationship. We've gone from civil to hating each other to back to civil," Jason said.

"So then you have no reason to lie for him?" she asked.

"No," Jason answered.

"Thank you, Mr. Morgan," Ms. Russell said before going to sit down.

"No questions, Your Honor," Sonny's lawyer said.

"What the hell are you doing?" Sonny demanded to know.

He leaned in to talk to his clients. "I have no way to refute his testimony. Everyone knows Jason Morgan turning against you isn't in his character. His own family was shocked that he came forward today. I can't really accuse him of lying. You're going to lose this hearing. Your best bet is to let this go to a custody hearing and try to prove Mr. Quartermaine unfit."

"Oh my God," Carly said. This was actually happening. Her best friend had just turned against her and now her bastard ex was going to have the chance to take her son away.

"You can take your seat, Mr. Morgan," the judge said.

Jason stepped down and went back to Robin and sat down.

"It's gonna be okay, Jason. This was the right thing to do," Robin said.

Jason nodded. He actually felt a lot better now that it was done. The worst part of it was actually anticipating having to do it. That was over, and while he had to deal with the fallout now, it was done and he could move on.

"Alright, I'm going to need some time to think this all over. Court is adjourned until I can do that," the judge said before banging his gavel.

They all stood up for the judge's exit. Then Sonny and Carly made their way over to Jason. He knew that now he would have to deal with them.


	14. Chapter 14

Sonny angrily approached Jason. He was pissed. He'd just watched his friend betray him for that drunk. He'd told the entire secrets that Sonny had told him in confidence and he wanted to know why. "You son of a bitch! Why the hell would you betray me like that?!"

Robin got in the middle of the two of them. She could tell that Sonny was violently angry and she wanted to try to avoid a physical confrontation. "Sonny, stop."

"Robin, move out of the way. I don't want you or your baby hurt," Jason said before gently taking her by the arm and pushing her behind him. Then he turned back to Sonny. "Look, I know you're pissed, Sonny, but I did what I had to do for Michael."

"You betrayed me for that drunk!" Sonny yelled.

"Better a drunk than a murderer," AJ said from a few feet away.

"Shut the hell up, AJ!" Sonny ordered.

AJ walked over with a huge smirk on his face. "I don't think so. I've waited too long for this day. I've waited to see you finally get a taste of your own medicine, to have the rug pulled out from under you. Karma's a bitch, isn't it?"

"You son of a bitch. You did something? Did you threaten him?" Carly asked AJ angrily.

AJ laughed. Threaten him? We are talking about Jason, right? Since when does Jason respond to intimidation? Since when can he even be intimidating. He does the intimidating. No, Jason came to me. He brought me here with the intention of helping me get Michael."

Carly looked at JAson and waited for him to deny it, but he didn't. He didn't say a word. "Jason? Jason, is he telling the truth. You brought him here."

Jason nodded.

"You bastard. You came to my house like you wanted to help us," Sonny said angrily.

"I never said that I was there to help you. I asked you what you intended to do and what you wanted me to do. I never said I would do it," Jason said.

Sonny laughed humorlessly. "So you were there for him. You betrayed me for this loser. Why? Why would you bring him back here to take my son?"

"I don't know why you would even have to ask that question Is it really not blatantly obvious why I did it. MIchael got shot because of you, Sonny. He nearly died because somebody wanted to take you out," Jason said.

"Jason, Michael is fine," Carly said.

"Michael has bandages around his head from where they cut into it to take the bullet out. Yeah, he's alive this time, but what about next time. The two of you are too deluded to see it, but it would happen and I knew that. I had to do something to stop it. That's how it started," Jason said.

"What do you mean how it started?" Sonny asked.

"Well, since we're talking about delusions, I should admit that I suffered them too. When I finally let the one about you being better for Michael go, I started to see through the other ones too, including the one that made it okay to take Michael from AJ in the first place," Jason said.

"You're saying you regret that? You regret helping me," Carly asked hurt.

"Yes. One of the biggest regrets of my life is letting you say I was your child's father. The night you asked me to do that, I should've said no. I let my past with the Quartermaine's lead me to do something I had no right to do. Michael was not my son and I didn't have the right to say he was," Jason said sadly. He loved Michael so much and thought of him like a son, but the boy was not his. He was AJ's.

Carly just stared at him with hurt and disbelief for a minute. Then she turned and glared at Robin. "You. You're the one doing this. I thought it was Elizabeth, but you're the one convincing him to take AJ's side."

"Leave Robin out of this, Carly. The only thing she has done is support my choices," Jason said.

"You support him trying to take my son away?" Sonny asked Robin.

"Sonny, back off. Leave her alone," Jason said warningly.

"No, it's okay, Jason. Yes, Sonny, I support Jason. I love you, but you're wrong here. And you know, I find it interesting that you are so possessive of Michael. How you keep calling him your son. But you don't seem to remember whose son he was considered when you first met him," Robin said.

"That was a long time ago," Sonny said.

"Yeah, and I was there. I was there the first time Michael called verbally identified someone as his father. That person was Jason," Robin said.

"Yeah, and you took it away from him, not me," Sonny said.

"You don't think I wrestled with that? You don't think Jason wrestled with what he did today? He did, Sonny. I saw the pain and guilt in his eyes every time we saw each other. It was eating him up inside. He knew it was right, but he still hated it," Robin said.

"So you knew about this and didn't tell me. You betrayed me too," Sonny said.

Robin sighed. "God, you make it sound as if we set out to cause you pain. Jason wanted to do what was right. He wanted Michael to be safe and he wanted to fix the mistakes he made. I supported those decisions because they were right."

"You did more than support. This was you. You convinced Jason to do this out of revenge. You've wanted revenge on me since Jason chose me over you," Carly said coldly.

"Is that what you think happened, Carly. You think I chose you over here?" Jason asked, causing everyone to turn to him. "I guess it makes sense for you to think that. In a way it is what happened. But it's not that I cared about you more than her. I loved Michael and i felt like i had to put you first with him. That wasn't something Robin could live with and she shouldn't have had to. I treated her horribly and I hate myself for that."

"That's not true, Jason. We were your family. We were supposed to come first. You've proved that by choosing us first every time," Carly said.

"You wanna know why I've done that. You wanna know the real reason I stood by you for so long? Why I didn't cut you off long ago? I had the right too. Realistically I should've told you to go to hell the second you told the world that I kidnapped Michael and virtually held you prisoner with fear. I didn't do that then or later for two reasons. One was obviously Michael. I loved him and I didn't wanna let him go. The other reason was Robin," Jason said.

Now even Robin was confused. She had no idea what her ex meant by that. Why would Jason remain by Carly's side for her. That was the last thing she would've wanted. "What are you talking about, Jason?"

Jason looked right at her, ignoring the others. "I put Carly first. I did it for Michael, but I still did it. I sabotaged our relationship. If I left Carly, especially that quickly, if I turned my back on her, it would've been like saying that she wasn't worth it. And while that was true, I couldn't live with having hurt you for no reason. And I know how warped this is gonna sound, but I think a part of me also felt like walking away would be an insult to you since she was the reason we split up."

"You're right, that sounds incredibly warped. I wish you had told me that before," Robin said. If she'd known for one second that that was in Jason's head, she would've made sure to relieve him of such a ridiculous notion. She didn't want him to remain Carly's personal servant out of some weird and warped loyalty to her.

"I didn't even realize it myself until recently. It's like I said earlier, when delusion collapsed, the rest slowly followed," Jason said.

"Wait, you're saying our whole friendship is based on her?" Carly asked in disbelief.

"No. I do love you, Carly, in certain ways, but I also realize that I was much more your friend than you were ever mine. I also realize that I should've let go a long time ago," Jason said.

"Well, that's fine, Jason, because, you lose us both now. You're fired and you're no longer welcome around my family," Sonny said coldly.

"That is the best thing you have ever done for my son," Monica spoke up for the first time since this whole thing started. She, Edward, and Tracy had been listening the entire time, but they'd waited to see what would happen.

"You'll never get near Michael again. He's off limits to you," Sonny said with cruel smile.

"What makes you think you get a say in that? Michael isn't yours and it's only a matter of time before the judge tells you that too" AJ said.

"You're not getting our son!" Carly yelled at AJ.

"You know, Carly, you and I don't have to fight. I may hate you, but you're Michael's mother and he loves you. I'm willing to work with you," AJ said. In the past he had wanted to take Michael away from her completely, but he was better able to see what was best for Michael now. It wasn't best for him to be away from Carly completely. If she would concede the danger Sonny was to him and start to put Michael first, he would even be willing to discuss joint custody.

"Go to hell. You will never see my son," Carly said before pushing past everyone and walking out.

Sonny glared at Jason once more. "This isn't over. You will pay for this."

"AJ was right when he said I don't respond to intimidation. Don't try it," Jason warned. He did not take threats lying down, not even from Sonny."

Sonny didn't say anything. He just walked away.

Jax was the next to speak to Jason. "You know, I commend you for wanting to protect Michael from Sonny, but you should've come to me instead of AJ. I would've found a way to do it without Carly having to go through a custody trial."

"Back off, Jax. I won't listen to this from you. I did the right thing," Jason said.

"That you did, Jason. I'm proud of you," Edward said with a large grin.

"I have to go," was all Jason said before walking out the door.

Robin followed him. Jason had said a lot today regarding her that still had her shocked and they needed to discuss it.


	15. Chapter 15

Robin led Jason into her house. She'd convinced him to come home with her to talk after catching up to him outside the courthouse. "Have a seat." she said as she closed the door.

"Are you sure you wanna talk here? Couldn't Patrick walk in?" Jason asked.

"Patrick's working. He won't be here for hours," Robin said. And that was best case. Sometimes he didn't come home at all. Things were distant between them right now. In fact, she was starting to think that the only thing keeping them both together was the baby.

Jason walked into the living room and sat down on the couch. He rubbed his eyes tiredly. It had been a hell of a day and he knew it would get longer.

Robin sat down next to Jason. "First thing's first. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I actually am. I feel bad for hurting Sonny and Carly, but I had to do it, and now that it's done, I actually feel better. I think the worst part was waiting to do it,"

Robin nodded. "Most of the time, anticipation is worse than the event you're anticipating. Jason, we really need to talk."

"I'm not sure we should. It was all a long time ago. It doesn't matter now," Jason said.

Robin looked at him like she'd lost his mind. "It obviously does matter, Jason. It's affecting your life now. You admitted to that entire courtroom that you've only stayed friends with Carly so long because of me."

"No, because of the way I treated you, and I didn't even realize it at the time. It wasn't until recently that I admitted the real reason," Jason said.

"It doesn't matter if you realized then or not. The fact of the matter is that you stuck by Carly to punish yourself for hurting me. Do you have any idea what that does to me? All I've ever wanted was for you to be free of Carly and her games and now I find out that you stuck with her because of me," Robin said. That freaked her out. It hurt her to know that Jason had hurt himself so much because of her. She didn't want that. Yes, Jason had hurt her, but she didn't want him ruining his life, and she did believe being friends with Carly did that, because he felt guilty.

"I'm sorry. I hurt you and I keep doing so. I hate that," Jason said.

Robin signed. "I just don't get it. You were so angry with me when I left and even when I came back to a lesser degree. I don't get why any part of you would feel the need to punish yourself for hurting me when you hated my guts."

"I didn't hate you, Robin. No matter what, I have never and could never hate you. I was angry, but I think deep down I knew you weren't wrong. I just couldn't admit it, just like I didn't want to admit that I was wrong, both in taking Michael from AJ and in the way I treated you," Jason said.

"i was angry with you too, both for the way you treated me after I told you that I told AJ, and later, I was also angry with you for always putting Carly before me," Robin said. After she was in Paris and had time to think about it, she became very angry with Jason for putting Carly before her.

Jason nodded that he understood. He more than understood. Robin did not deserve the way he treated her. She was the woman he loved and she should've been first. She had every right to hate her for not treating her the way she deserved.

"But, Jason, I would never want you to let Carly continue to manipulate and hurt you as punishment. You did not deserve that," Robin said.

"I feel like I did and still do. Look, I think I we should just drop this. This all went down years ago. You've moved on, so we should let it go," Jason said.

The fact that Jason had said _she_ moved and not they had was not lost on Robin and she would have to address that as well as everything else. She realized now that it was a mistake to leave all of this unsaid for so long. They never really got what happened between them out in the open after she got back and it was time to do that now. "No. No, we're not gonna drop it. We've been dropping it for too long. We need to talk about this before either of us can really move on.

Jason sighed. "Okay, fine."

"Good. First, there's something you need to hear and I need for you to accept it," Robin said firmly.

Jason nodded for her to go on.

"I forgive you. I forgave you a long time ago. I told you that at the courthouse, but apparently you didn't accept it." Robin said.

"I accept it, I just don't think I deserve it. I don't think you should forgive me," Jason said.

"Yeah, well that's not your choice. You're the one who's always preaching other people's choices and respecting them. Well, now you're going to respect my decision to forgive you," Robin said.

Jason couldn't help but smile at Robin using his own words against him. "Okay."

"Good. So no more punishing yourself in some twisted way to make amends. Promise me you will stop that, Jason. I don't wanna see you hurt anymore," Robin said.

Jason nodded after a minute. "I promise."

"I think we need to talk about the past now," Robin said.

"Haven't we been talking about the past?" Jason asked.

"I mean about our relationship, how it ended, and how we go on now," Robin said.

"We have gone on."

"No, we haven't. We've buried it and tried to forget about it, but it obviously hasn't worked. It's time to talk about what happened and figure out what to do now," Robin said.

"I don't see the point, but if that's what you want," Jason said. He didn't really wanna do this. It would just bring back a lot of pain that he'd tried to bury, but if Robin needed this, he would do it for her.

"Right after we broke up, I left for Paris. I did that because it was too painful to be near you and not be with you. But I couldn't be with you while you were putting others before me. Michael I got, but Carly I couldn't deal with. I had to let go of you. But I couldn't stay and see you everyday, especially not with Carly manipulating you constantly. That would've been too painful," Robin said.

"I knew why you left. A part of me was glad for it because I would've had that same pain from seeing you. Also, it would've made the guilt worse. When I think back, a part of me knew how how horrible it was for me to treat you the way I did. I pushed it back and told myself that I had no choice, but I know that if you were around, I wouldn't have been able to do that. And that's why I now wish you hadn't gone. Maybe things would've been different if you'd stayed," Jason said. He always tried not to dwell on what could've been. It made no sense to him to think about things that hadn't and wouldn't happen, but lately, that was all he could think about.

"Oh, I've thought about that constantly. I wondered if I'd stayed, would I have been able to make my way back to you? Would we be together now?" Robin asked.

"But you're happy now. You've got a baby on the way and you're with someone else," Jason said. It hurt him to realize that. The more time he spent with Robin, the more he realized that he still loved her, but he was glad she was happy.

Robin sighed. "You know, I care about Patrick a lot, but I'm not sure we're gonna last. Things have been weird lately. I'm starting to think that we convinced ourselves we loved each other because we're having a baby and we think we should love each other."

"I get that. I think I've made the same mistake," Jason said. When Elizabeth told him that her baby was his, he'd immediately asked to start a life with her even though he was with someone else at the time, and it didn't take long for him to convince himself that that was what he wanted, but the more time went by, the more he realized that he wasn't in love with her. He just felt like he should be because he was her son's father.

"What do you mean?" Robin asked. She wasn't sure how he could make the same mistake. He didn't have kids to be able to make that same mistake.

"I...I'm not supposed to say anything. We agreed not to, but I want you to know. Elizabeth's son, Jake, is my son too," Jason said. He felt happy as soon as he said. He'd wanted to tell people since he found out. The only person he actually got to tell himself was Lucky and that was because Sam had pretty much forced his hand. It felt good to be able to say it to someone without being forced and it felt even better that that person was Robin.

Robin looked at Jason in shock. She'd never guessed that Elizabeth's little boy was Jason's. She probably should have though. When she thought back to the little boy, she realized that he looked amazingly like Jason. He had the same blonde hair and blue eyes. It was hard to believe anyone thought the child was Lucky's. "Oh my God. I don't get it. Why does everyone think he's Lucky's."

"Just after Elizabeth told me, she asked me to keep it a secret. She thought it was better for Jake to grow up with Lucky as his father," Jason said.

"Are you kidding me? I thought Elizabeth was better than that," Robin said. This seemed to her like a repeat of the Carly/AJ situation. The only difference being that at least Elizabeth told Jason the truth. Still, she expected him to stay away from his own son.

"No, it's not like with Carly. She's trying to protect him from this world. And truthfully, right before Michael was shot, we were gonna try to be together and raise Jake together, but after Michael was hurt, I just couldn't justify it," Jason said.

"Well, things are different now. Sonny just fired you. You can walk away and have a relationship with your son," Robin said.

That actually hadn't occurred to Jason. Could that happen. Could his life possibly be safe enough for him to have a relationship with Jake in the near future. He wanted that so badly. He wanted to know his son. "Maybe. I don't think me and Elizabeth will ever happen though. LIke with you, I think it was just about Jake for us."

"What about Sam?" Robin asked.

"Sam and I are done We will never be together again," Jason said firmly. Sam had crossed the line when she watching Jake get kidnapped and did nothing to stop it. He could never be with her after that. And yeah, he knew he'd hurt her too and he was sorry, but it didn't excuse what she did. "Actually the truth is, I don't think any relationship I have with anyone will work out."

"Why? I need you to say it, Jason," Robin said. She would be stupid not to know where he was going with this, but she had to hear it.

Jason looked directly at her when he answered. "Because none of them will be you."

And there it was. She knew it was coming, but hearing it had an extreme impact on her. She'd felt the same way for a long time now and now she was hearing that she wasn't alone in it. Now she and Jason had to figure out how to deal with that. "I feel the same way."

"Really?" Jason asked hopefully. Could they have a future? Could they find their way back to each other and make work this time? He wanted that, but it hurt to even hope for it.

"Yeah, but I'm not sure what to do about it. I need some time. First and foremost, I need to deal with Patrick. No matter what, I think it's clear that I have to end things with him. After that, I still need some time to think about if I can go down that road again," Robin said. Sbe still loved Jason and she wanted to be with him, but it had been so painful the last time. She wasn't sure she could handle it if they tried again and fell apart.

"Okay. I'll give you as much time as you need," Jason said before standing up.

"I still want to be there for you and for AJ with this custody battle, so let me know when you go back to court," Robin said.

"I will. I'll see you soon," Jason said before heading for the door, and despite everything that had happened in court, he actually felt that this day had been good.


	16. Chapter 16

A couple of days later, Jason and AJ were back in court for the judge's decision. AJ was a nervous wreck. He knew he had a good shot, but he was still scared. Actually, the fact that he had a good chance was scaring him even more. He was waiting for the rug to be pulled out from under him.

"AJ, calm down. It's going to be okay," Monica said.

"I'm scared, Mom. It took the judge two days to make a decision," AJ said. That worried him as well. He would think that given Jason's testimony, the judge would've ruled almost right away The fact that he didn't made AJ think he might not have believed Jason.

"Adoptions aren't often overturned, especially with a child so old. I'm not surprised it took the judge a little bit. He would want to make sure he was making the right decision," Ms. Russell said in reassurance.

"So you think he will side with AJ?" Jason asked.

"Most likely. MIchael's age will make him slightly hesitant, but I think the evidence we presented will overshadow that. It's not a guarantee of course, but we have very good odds," Ms. Russell said.

Just then, Jason felt a hand on his arm. He turned around to see Robin. "Hey. I'm glad you're here."

"Thanks for calling me," Robin said before turning to AJ and going to hug him. "Hey."

AJ gladly accepted the hug. "Hi. It's good to see you."

Robin pulled away after a minute. "Sorry I didn't get the chance to greet you last time."

"It's okay. There was a lot going on then. By the way, was Carly right? Do I have you to thank for this?" AJ asked.

"No. Jason talked to me after Michael was shot about how he felt about it and what he did to cause it, but he was the one that realized he was wrong and he was the one that made the decision to fix it. I supported that decision and I'm here to support you both now," Robin said.

"Thank you," AJ said gratefully.

"We should probably sit down. I'm sure we'll be starting soon," Robin said.

The Quartermaines sat directly behind AJ while Jason and Robin took seats the row behind him. Jason looked over at Sonny and Carly. Sonny was looking back at him glaring.

Robin grabbed his hand. "You okay?"

Jason nodded. "Yeah. I hate that I hurt them, but I know it was the right thing to do. I"ll be fine."

A few minutes later, the judge showed up and they got started. The judge cleared his throat and began speaking. "I've considered this motion very carefully. Reversing an adoption is not something to be done on a whim, especially when it involves a child so old."

AJ shifted nervously in his chair.

"Michael is hardly a little boy at this point in life. He's twelve-years-old, a young man who has grown up with Mr. Corinthos as his father. It would not be easy for him to accept someone else as his father," the judge said. There was a slight pause before he continued. "However, as much as I would like to prevent this young man from being torn apart the way he almost certainly will be, I had to ask myself if it was ultimately best for Michael to remain with a man who virtually kidnapped him," the judge said.

Sonny glared at the judge for calling him a kidnapper. He wasn't a kidnapper. That was AJ. He was the one who kidnapped Michael when he took Michael and Sonny's other kids. Sonny was Michael's father, not AJ. AJ was nothing but a drunk that shouldn't be near any kid.

The judge turned to look at Sonny. "Mr. Corinthos, you were able to adopt this child only because you forced a man with threats to surrender his parental rights. That is Abhorring and as close to kidnapping as it comes. Unfortunately, I can't put you in jail for it because there is no proof other than your word against Mr. Morgan's. Luckily though, I don't need proof for these proceedings. I've listened to Mr. Morgan's testimony and I reviewed a copy of his written statement. I believe him. This child was never legally yours and to allow him to remain in your care would not only be a miscarriage of justice, but it would also be detrimental to his life. This boy is not going to grow up believing that he can get what he wants through threats and intimidation!. So I'm granting Mr. Quartermaine's request. The adoption of the child, Michael Corinthos III by Michael 'Sonny' Corinthos Jr. is null and void. The father of this child is Alan Quartermaine Jr. and his rights as a father shall be reinstated."

AJ let out the breath he didn't know he was holding and smiled deeply. He did it. He got the truth out and got a court to acknowledge him as MIchael's father. He was Michael's father and no one would ever take that from him again.

Edward squeezed his grandson's shoulders proudly. He couldn't be happier. AJ would have a chance to know his son and so would the rest of them.

Ms. Russell stood up. "Your Honor, I would like to discuss visitation for my client, as you have just given him back the right to do so."

Carly jumped up angrily. "No way in hell! He's not going near Michael!"

The judge banged his gavel. "Sit down, Mrs. Jax or you will spend the night in jail," the judge warned.

Sonny took Carly by the arm and forced her to sit. He was extremely pissed right now, even if he was warned since the last hearing that this would happen, but he knew losing it in front of the judge wouldn't help.

"I will grant visitation. Since the parties clearly won't come to an agreement, I will have to do that for them. Mr. Quartermaine, you will be able to visit with your son every Saturday and Sunday until a decision regarding his custody is reached by another judge, as I'm sure that's where you all are headed next. You'll be able to visit him on those days for no less than four hours per day. This way he can get to know you in an environment he's comfortable in," the judge explained.

"Thank you, Your Honor," AJ said gratefully.

"Now I understand that Mr. Corinthos and Mrs. Jax share custody of their children. In MIchael's regard, that will stop immediately. Michael will remain in the custody of his mother. I won't stop Mr. Corinthos from seeing him, as that would be too much of a dramatic change for him with everything else, but he will not reside with him at any point," the judge said.

AJ suddenly thought of something and whispered it to his lawyer.

Ms. Russell stood up a second later. "Your Honor, my client is worried that your ruling will not be followed. It's not the first time he's received visitation only to be denied access anyway."

The judge turned to Sonny and Carly. "Mr. Corinthos, Mrs. Jax, be warned now that should I learn that you have not followed this ruling to the letter, you will both find yourselves in jail Court is adjourned," he said before banging his gavel and standing up.

Everyone got up. AJ had a huge smile on his face. "I can't believe it. This is really happening. I get to see my son."

"Congratulations, AJ," Robin said as she and Jason joined him and the Quartermaines.

"Thank you. You too, Jason. This only happened because of you," AJ said.

Jason shook his head. "It wouldn't have even come to this if not for me. You've got nothing to thank me for."

"It's still an amazing thing you did, Jason. You made things right when you took that stand. You've freed Michael and maybe even yourself of that monster. I'm proud of you, Jason," Edward said.

"I should go. I'll see you back at the penthouse, AJ," Jason said. AJ was still staying with him in case Sonny tried anything, which he probably would. He would find it much more difficult to hang AJ from any meathooks if AJ was living with Jason.

AJ nodded and watched his brother leave.


	17. Chapter 17

A few hours later, Robin was at home waiting for Patrick. His shift was finished by now and hopefully he was on his way back so they could talk. She'd asked him to come home so they could talk. She had tried several times to talk to him before now, but he always had an excuse not to.

Just then, Robin heard a knock at the door. She immediately went to answer it. She hoped it was Patrick and he just lost his key. Unfortunately, when she opened the door, she found Sonny there. He was the last person she wanted to see now. "Sonny, what are you doing here?"

"I wanna talk to you," Sonny said.

"There's not much to talk about, Sonny, and I'm waiting for Patrick," Robin told him.

"I don't care. I wanna know why you turned your back on me," Sonny said before pushing his way inside.

Robin sighed and closed the door behind him. "I didn't turn my back on you, Sonny. I supported a friend because I believed he was right."

"You think he's right to help that son of a bitch take my son from me?" Sonny asked.

"Michael isn't your son, Sonny. I know you love him, but the judge was right. You may as well have kidnapped him. You had him because threatened his father into signing away his parental rights," Robin said.

"MIchael was better off without him!" Sonny yelled.

"Who were you to make that decision? You were not his father. You had no right to decide who is and isn't deserving of their child," Robin said.

"He's a useless drunk! He bashed Jason's head in!"

"Okay, Sonny, I don't think you wanna go comparing misdeeds with AJ. Yes, AJ has done some terrible things, but you have done worse and so has Carly. So should someone hang the two of you from meat hooks and force you to sign your kids away? No one, aside from a judge, as the right to decide who is and isn't fit to be a parent," Robin said.

"Yet you've never said any of this to me before. This is because of Jason. You're choosing Jason over me me after everything we've been through," Sonny said with anger and hurt in his voice.

Robin's eyes flashed with anger. She knew what Sonny was alluding to and if he thought that was going to make her feel guilty, he was wrong. it had the opposite effect. "I never said anything because I didn't see the point. There was nothing I could do about it. And don't you dare even think of using Stone against me! You don't get to bring him up just because I side with someone else over you. I love you, Sonny, and I always will because of Stone, but you don't get to use that to hurt me. And you're forgetting that while I have history with you, I have it with Jason and AJ too, even more so. I practically grew up with them."

"So since you knew them longer, you're choosing them over me? Or maybe it's just Jason. I noticed how you've been sitting next to him in court and holding his hand. You and Jason are back together, aren't you?" Sonny asked.

"What?"

Robin turned around to see that Patrick had come in without her realizing it.

"What's going on?" Patrick asked.

Robin turned back to Sonny. "Sonny, I need you to leave."

"Fine. It's clear to me that you're just another traitor now. There's nothing for us to ever say to each other again," Sonny said before heading to the door. He walked past Patrick and out the door.

Patrick closed the door behind him. "What the hell is going on?"

"Sonny's angry that I've sided with Jason and AJ against him. I'm sure you've heard what's going on there." Robin said.

"Of course I have. Everyone in the hospital knows about it. AJ and Jason are Monica's sons and Michael is her grandson. I didn't know you had anything to do with it though. Why didn't you tell me?" Patrick wanted to know.

"I've barely seen you lately when it wasn't work related. Everytime I try to talk to you, you've got something better to do," Robin said annoyed.

"I've been busy at the hospital. It's not like I had much choice," Patrick said defensively

"Don't give me that. You've signed up for extra shifts to avoid me," Robin said.

"That's not true," he denied.

"Yeah, it is. You have been avoiding me for a while now, and it only got worse when I told you I wanted to talk. I think it's because you know what I wanna talk about and you don't wanna deal with it," Robin said knowingly.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Patrick lied. She was spot on. He knew what it was about and he would rather avoid it.

Robin sighed. "I think you do, but I'm not going to argue with you over it. You're here, so we'll talk now."

"Fine," Patrick said before hanging his jacket up and heading for the couch.

Robin followed him and they both sat down. She took a deep breath. "Patrick, you mean a lot to me. You're the father of my child and you'll always be important to me."

Patrick sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Don't do this. I know things have been hard…"

"They haven't been hard. If things had been hard, it would mean that there was something there, but there's not. We don't fight. We don't talk at all really. We barely see each other unless it's at the hospital," Robin said.

"So your solution is just to end it? Is that because Sonny's right. Are you seeing Jason behind my back?" Patrick asked.

"Of course not! Have I been there for Jason, yes, but I resent you accusing me of sleeping with him behind your back!" Robin said angrily.

"Then why all of a sudden do you wanna end our relationship?" Patrick asked.

"This is not all of a sudden, Patrick. We haven't really been working for a while now. We've both known it, but we didn't wanna accept it. And deny it all you want, but you knew it was going to end. That's why you've been avoiding me so much," Robin said.

"Like you haven't been avoiding me. These last couple of weeks you've been involving yourself with Jason's problems without even telling me," Patrick said.

"This is not about Jason, Patrick," Robin said. It really wasn't. Yes, she had deep feelings for Jason, but even if she and Jason never reunited, her relationship with Patrick had to end. They were not in love with each other. "Things between us aren't as they should be. We don't love each other the way a couple should. I think we just convinced each other we did because of the baby."

"Yeah, the baby. Let's think about the baby for a minute. We're gonna break up and leave our kid with a broken home?" Patrick asked.

"What's the alternative, Patrick. We bring our child into a home with parents who don't love each other and will eventually split up. Staying with each other for the baby won't work. It's better for us to go our separate ways now. That way our child will never know any different. Look, I promise I will not cut you out like I tried to do before. That was wrong and it won't happen again. Our baby will grow up with both parents. It'll just be in separate homes." Robin said.

"Well, if you wanna end it, I can't really stop you, can I? I have a question though. You said you aren't seeing Jason, but do you plan to? I can't help feeling like you want Jason, especially after hearing Sonny," Patrick said.

"I don't know," Robin answered honestly. She still hadn't decided if she was going to risk another go with Jason, especially since they both had children who would be impacted by it should things go south.

"So you admit that he is involved."

"He's not the reason I'm doing this. Maybe he's the reason I decided this now and not a few months from now, but it would've happened no matter what," Robin said.

"Do you love him? You said you didn't love me the way you should, but you love him that way. You never stopped, did you?" Patrick asked.

"No," Robin admitted.

Patrick stood up. "I should go. You're going into the hospital at nine tomorrow morning, right?"

Robin nodded.

"I'm off until one. I'll come by and get my things while you're at the hospital," Patrick said.

"You don't have to be the one to leave. I can stay with my Uncle Mac," Robin said.

"No. I want you and the baby to have the house. I'm gonna grab a change of clothes for tonight and then I'll head to the Metrocourt," Patrick said.

"Okay," Robin said before watching him head up get some of his things.


	18. Chapter 18

Jason opened the door to his apartment to find his twelve-year-old nephew there looking very upset. "Michael, what are you doing here? You just got out of the hospital. You should be at home resting."

"How could you betray us?" Michael asked coldly. His parents had told him what happened at the hearing. They told him that the judge had overturned his adoption because Jason betrayed them and said that his dad shouldn't be his dad.

Jason felt a pain in his chest from the young boy's accusation. He expected it, but it still hurt to hear Michael talk like he was the enemy. "Come inside, buddy."

Michael walked passed his uncle inside. "You lied to me. You told me the judge would side with Mom and Dad even though you knew you were going to make sure he didn't!"

Jason closed the door and turned to the boy. "That's not what I said, Michael. I said that the judge would make the right choice and he did."

"No, he didn't! The judge said that my dad isn't my dad anymore and you told him to do that!" MIchael screamed.

"Michael, I told the truth. The judge decided that Sonny adopted you through illegal means and that it couldn't be held up," Jason said.

"You betrayed him!" Michael yelled.

Jason cringed. The way Michael said that sounded exactly like Sonny. It was something he said all the time when someone went against him and Jason didn't like it coming from his nephew. "No, Michael, I betrayed AJ. You were his son and I took you away from him."

"I am not his son! Sonny is my dad," he said angrily.

Just then, AJ appeared at the top of the stairs. He'd heard screaming from his room and came down to see what was going on.

"I know you love Sonny, but you shouldn't be around him. You never should've been around him. He put you in the hospital," Jason said.

"You can't blame my dad for that. His enemies shot me and he's gonna make them pay. He's gonna kill them," Michael said.

AJ flinched at the words coming from his son's mouth. No twelve-year-old should talk about killing like it was nothing. He had to get Michael away from that man soon or the kid would end up just like him.

Jason sighed. "You talking like that is another reason you shouldn't be around him. She shouldn't talk about someone being killed like it's so normal.

"My father is not a bad person! Stop saying he is! How can you turn on him like this? How can you take AJ's side over ours? AJ kidnapped me and my brother and sister!" Michael yelled.

"And he was wrong. I will never say that what he did was right and neither will he, but it wasn't all his fault. He was driven to it. All he ever wanted was be a father to you," Jason said.

"He will never be my father! I hate him! And I hate you trying to take me from my mom and dad. Dad's right, you're a traitor!" Michael screamed.

AJ had heard enough. He wasn't going to listen one more second as his son did his best Sonny Corinthos impression. He immediately went downstairs. "That's enough! Where do you get off thinking you can talk to him like that?"

Michael turned and glared at AJ. "Go to hell! You can't lecture me. I don't care what the judge says, you'll never be my father!"

"Yes, I am and you will listen to what I have to say right now. You have no right coming into someone else's house and screaming at him the way you just did. As an adult that would be unacceptable, but you are a twelve-year-old boy! You never no business talking to any adult that way! Furthermore, this man is your uncle. Even if talking to a stranger the way you just did was acceptable, talking to him that way is not. He has sacrificed everything for you!" AJ lectured. His relationship with Jason was far from good, but he was not going to deny everything Jason had done for Michael, even if he didn't agree with most of the decisions Jason made.

"He betrayed us!" Michael yelled again.

"Keep your voice down! We can hear you just fine without you screaming. Now Jason never once betrayed you. He has spent your entire life catering to you, to the point where it cost him someone he loved a lot. In fact, I think the only person he ever loved more than her was you. And you repay him by coming into his home and screaming at him?" AJ asked.

Jason just stood there shocked. He never thought AJ would defend him the way he was right now, especially to Michael. He remembered a time when AJ would've done anything to turn Michael against him, and since realizing his mistakes, Jason understood that. Now the man was defending him to the boy.

Michael was surprised by this too. AJ had never spoken to him like this. When he'd kidnapped him, he was always trying to act like his friend. He seemed to only want him to like him and hate his parents. Now that didn't seem to matter to him. He was lecturing him like a parent. But AJ was not his parent and he would not be lectured by him.

"Do you really have so little respect for a man who has given up everything for you? Who whether he was right or not has always had your best interests in mind? Or maybe you expect it. Is that it, Michael? Do you somehow think you're entitled to his unwavering devotion? Maybe you do. Sonny and Carly certainly do," AJ said.

"Don't talk about my parents!" Michael said angrily.

AJ shook his head in disbelief. "You have so much loyalty for them, especially Sonny. I've only heard you for a few minutes and you already sound just like him. And I bet you're proud of that. You wanna be like him, don't you?"

"Yeah, that's right. Better him than you," Michael said in disdain.

"Oh, I don't want you to be like me. There are many flaws I have that I would never wish on you. But I'll be damned if you turn out like Sonny either. Do you even know half of what he's done to people?" AJ asked.

"AJ," Jason interjected. He knew how AJ felt about Sonny, but he didn't think he should badmouth him to Michael. Michael loved Sonny very much.

"No, Jason. It's time for the gloves to come off. If he's old enough to talk about killing like it's a sport, he's old enough to hear the rest of what the father he loves so much is capable of," AJ said. He'd made mistakes in the past with Michael regarding Sonny. He'd told Michael the kinds of things Sonny did before he was old enough to hear it and understand it. But he was old enough now. He was obviously old enough that he knew what Sonny did to people who hurt him.

Jason sighed and nodded. AJ was Michael's father, so it was for him to decide what to say, besides, AJ might be right. Maybe if Michael knew everything Sonny had done, he'd be less inclined to be like him.

"I would never believe anything you said about my dad. You're a liar," MIchael said.

AJ sighed. "You know, now that I think about it, I'm not even sure there's anything I can tell you that you don't already know. You know Sonny kills people and you seem to be okay with that."

"He kills his enemies," Michael argued.

"Oh, so it's okay then? Tell me, Michael, do you have enemies? You got kids at school you don't like?" AJ asked.

Michael nodded.

"You gonna shoot them?" AJ asked.

"That's different," Michael said.

"So then what makes it okay? When does it become alright to kill someone? When they do something that hurts you, like Jason did? Now you're mad at Jason, but would you see him dead? Sonny would," AJ said.

"That's not true," Michael said immediately.

"Yeah, it is. I heard him. He said Jason would pay. Everyone knows that that's what Sonny says when he's threatening someone. That's the kind of man you wanna be like. The kind of man who would have your uncle killed or at least seriously hurt," AJ said.

"You're lying," Michael said. His father would never hurt Jason, no matter what he did. AJ was a liar. He just wanted him to hate his father.

"Am I lying, Jason?" AJ asked.

"No," Jason said after a minute.

"You're both lying. I'm going home," Michael said.

"You're right, you are. Jason's gonna take you home. You're not leaving here by yourself," AJ said firmly. He would take Michael himself, but he didn't think it was a good idea to get into it with Carly.

"I don't need anyone to take me home. I got here just fine on my own," Michael said.

"I don't care. You're not going on your own, and before you say anything to the contrary, I am your father. As your father, it's my job to make sure you get home safe," AJ said.

"Come on, Michael," Jason said before putting a hand on his shoulder to lead him out.

Michael shrugged the hand off and stormed out the door, followed closely by Jason.


	19. Chapter 19

The next day, Jason was sitting on the couch looking at an old picture of him and Robin. He was starting to get antsy waiting to hear from her. He wanted to give her her space, but he was getting very nervous. He wanted to know if they had a shot.

Just then, Jason heard a knock at the door. He immediately got up to answer it. When he opened the door, he found Elizabeth there. He was disappointed. He'd hoped to find Robin there. "Hi, Elizabeth. Come on in,"

"Thanks," Elizabeth said with a smile before walking inside.

"Is Jake okay?" Jason asked as he closed the door.

"He's fine. He's getting bigger everyday. I came because I heard about everything going on with you and Sonny and Carly," Elizabeth said.

"I'm pretty sure everyone's heard about it by now," Jason said.

"Sonny can't be happy that you're taking AJ's side over his," Elizabeth said.

"No, he's not. He fired me," Jason said.

Elizabeth sighed with relief. That was what she was hoping to hear. "So does that mean you're out of the business."

"Well, it means I can get out and I plan to," Jason said. He was going to do everything he could to get out of the organization. Sonny's anger was giving him an out and he would take it, both for Jake and Robin.

Elizabeth smiled widely. "This is great. We can get married after all."

Jason cringed. He knew what he was about to say was going to hurt her, but it was necessary. He did not love Elizabeth and he had to tell her that, just like Robin had or would do with Patrick. True, they weren't together, but Elizabeth had hope for it and he couldn't let that continue. "No, we can't."

"What do you mean? You only broke up our very brief engagement because you got scared after Michael was shot. But you're getting out. It's safe for us to be together. It's safe for Jake to be in your life," Elizabeth said.

"Yeah, and I want Jake in my fife. If it truly is safe, I plan to be a part of our son's life. But we still won't be together. It's not about the danger. We can't be together because I"m not in love with you,"Jason said. He knew it probably sounded pretty blunt and hurtful, but he had to make it clear. He didn't want her having any doubts as to how he felt.

Elizabeth's face looked completely crestfallen. "But you told me you did. You told me you wanted to marry me."

"I know. I thought I did at the time, but I was lying to myself. I've been lying to myself for many years about a lot of things and I have to stop that. All it has done is made me make really stupid decisions that hurt the people I love. I thought I loved you because I was supposed to. Because you were the mother of my child. I'm sorry, Elizabeth. I didn't mean to hurt you," Jason said sincerely.

"Is this about Sam? Are you going back to her? Did she convince you that you still love her or something?" Elizabeth asked. Someone had to have somehow convinced Jason that he didn't love her and her biggest guess was Sam. Carly would be on the list too, but she doubted Carly was even on speaking terms with him right now.

"No. I don't love Sam either, and even if I was, I couldn't be with her after what she did to Jake. But I am in love with someone else and I always have been. You deserve to know because if she gives me a chance, I don't think it's fair for you to be blindsided by it, and you're Jake's mother, so you'll be a part of our lives," Jason said.

"Who?" Elizabeth asked in a strained voice.

"Robin," he said.

Elizabeth stared at him in shock. "Robin? You guys broke up years ago. You've both been with different people since then. Wait, is this why she broke up with Patrick? Because the two of you have been together?" Patrick and Robin's breakup had gotten around the hospital, so of course Elizabeth knew about it. She didn't know they'd broken up over Jason though.

Jason's eyes grew somewhat cold. "Robin would never cheat on anybody! We have not been together since we broke up years ago. Don't ever accuse her of something like that."

Elizabeth flinched at the way Jason defended Robin. She could tell that he really did love her. "I've never heard you defend somebody with such power. You spent so long hating her and now you say you love her."

"I never hated Robin. I was mad at her for something she had every right to do and I held onto that anger for a long time because it kept me from seeing how badly I hurt her. I knew I hurt her and I was at fault, but it was easy for me to forget a lot of the guilt over it by being angry. I did not hate her though. I loved her and I never stopped. Robin's my world, Elizabeth. She always has been," Jason said.

"What if she doesn't wanna be with you?" Elizabeth asked.

Jason's heart sank just at the thought. He knew it was possible. He knew Robin loved him, but he also knew she might choose not to try a third time. "She may not. I hurt her a lot in the past and she may choose not trust me like that again. But it doesn't change things between us if she doesn't. I don't love you and I can't pretend I do."

"I have to get out of here," Elizabeth said before bolting for the door.

Jason didn't stop her. He just watched her leave.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Robin opened her front door to find Jason on the other side. "Hey. Thanks for coming. Come on in."

Jason immediately walked inside.

Robin closed the door and turned to Jason. "Let's sit down."

Jason nodded and immediately followed her to couch, where they both sat down. "I was really glad you called It was getting harder not to call or come see you."

"I know. I'm grateful you did what I asked though. I needed time to think. So how are things going with AJ and Michael?" Robin asked. She wanted to know how that was before they got into anything else.

Jason sighed. "Michael knows that I sided with AJ. He's not happy. He came over yesterday and started screaming at me. I knew it would happen like that. I knew he'd be angry, but I wasn't prepared for how angry. He told me he hated me."

Robin could hear the complete devastation in Jason's voice. "Jason, he didn't mean it. That's just something kids say when they're mad. I sure said it enough as a kid."

"I know, but he's never said that to me before," Jason said with hurt laced in his voice.

"He'll understand one day," Robin said.

"I hope so. I hope one day he'll realize that being with Sonny and Carly has only hurt him," Jason said.

"Like you finally have. I guess we should talk about why I called you now. I broke up with Patrick," Robin said.

"I know. I had a similar conversation with Elizabeth and she mentioned it. She wondered if you broke up with him because we were together behind everyone's back," Jason said.

"Yeah, Patrick asked me the same thing," Robin said.

"He accused you of cheating on him?" Jason asked in a cold, angry voice.

"It's okay, Jason. He just didn't wanna accept that we were done. Anyway, I broke it off and all we are now is parents. Now it's time for you and I to figure out what we are," Robin said.

Jason nodded, but said nothing. He'd already told Robin how felt and what he wanted. It was her choice now.

"I love you and I would love to be with you, but I'm scared. We've failed twice now," Robin said.

"I know and I understand if you can't give me your heart again," Jason said. He'd hurt Robin so much and he didn't deserve her trust, so if she couldn't give it to him, he would understand.

"I'm afraid to go down this road again, Jason. I'm afraid that I'll get hurt and so will my child. If we do this, this baby will be born into your life. He or she will know you and become attacked from the very beginning. If we fail…"

"I understand," Jason interrupted sadly. He felt like Robin had made the decision not to be with him.

"So things would have to be different," Robin said.

Jason looked over at her hopeful.

"I won't come in second again. Now, I obviously don't expect to come before Jake. He's your son and you have to put him first, just like I have to put my baby first, but that's as far as it goes. You won't put anyone else before me and that includes Elizabeth. I know she's the mother of your child and you'll always have a bond with her, but I have to come first. In turn, I will never put Patrick before you," Robin promised.

"I swear, aside from our children, you will come first," Jason vowed. He had learned his lesson. He would never let anyone come between him and Robin again.

"And you have to get out of the mob. I know Sonny fired you and you expressed desire to get out so you could know Jake, but I have to be sure. I cannot and I will not be with you if you're in the mob. I won't go behind your back like I did the first time we were together, but I won't be a part of it either. I won't put my child in danger like that," Robin said firmly.

"I understand. I would never even ask you to do that. I'm gonna get out. I want you and our kids to be safe and that can't happen if I stay in this life. I swear, I will get out," he promised.

Robin nodded. "Then we can try again, but I don't think we should just jump in. We should start over and go slow."

"Yeah, I think that's a good idea. Would you have dinner with me tomorrow night?" Jason asked with a smile.

Robin smiled back. "I would love to."

Jason stood up. "Great. I'll come by at seven. I should probably go for now."

"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow."

Jason nodded and headed for the door with a huge smile on his face.


End file.
